


The Journey of a Hero

by Bl4ckHunter



Series: Rewriting fates [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Fix-It, Other, Past Character Death, Time Travel, Understanding and sympathy, Watch-it fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-03-20 05:44:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 122,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18986458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: Watch-it fic. Moira, Thea, Laurel, Quentin, Tommy, Diggle, Felicity and Roy are brought into the future by Sara, to make them understand what drives Oliver to being the man he is.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara brings her friends and family into the future to make them understand what happened to Oliver the five years he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note and Disclaimer:
> 
> An idea I've been wanting to do for a while. Timeline wise, it takes place after Oliver dies in Crisis on Infinite Earths and the pairing was Oliver/Sara, not Olicity, and I'm not gonna care if you don't like it, so don't bother protesting or trying to spout flames or dirty words, it'll only show how pathetic you are, it's my story and I have the right to write it as I see it fit.
> 
> This is my first time writing "watch-it" fic though, so I highly apologize in advance if the viewers' reactions are gonna be out of character. Timeline-wise, this takes place anytime after 1x19, when Tommy quit Verdant. I appreciate constructive criticism but don't be too harsh on me, please.
> 
> This will be a watch-it of the five years Oliver was gone but I'm gonna be making some changes in Year Five in Russia, since I didn't like how they were making Oliver a monster, him enjoying torture, just out of hate for Oliver. Format will be the same as Stand with Ward and Queen's watch-it fics "Whatever it takes" which is a great read and "Scott's story", since I don't like transcribing word for word.
> 
> Updates are gonna be irregular, since watch-it fics are tricky and I have college duties and other stories I'm working on.
> 
> I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"Are you sure about this?" Slade asked as Sara was in the cockpit, wiping her tears.

"I keep wondering if things could have been different if they had understood." Sara said. "If they had known that he was not the same person…"

"Dwelling about what could have been, is pointless." Slade told her. "Trust me."

"Maybe." Sara said. "But it took them all a long time that Oliver had grown so far from the man he was years ago."

"Everything's ready." Ray said as he entered. "So, who are we going to bring?"

* * *

Laurel Lance was in her apartment, angry at her mother not telling them the truth about knowing that Sara was going onto the Gambit before she vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

Quentin Lance was at his desk, looking at the photo of his daughters and angry that he again failed to catch the Hood again and that his daughter decided to keep a distance from him, when the next thing he saw, was a flash of light.

* * *

Roy Harper was in his house, looking at the flechette in his hand, after the Hood had rescued him from the Savior, contemplating his life so far and considering searching for the vigilante before he disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Thea Queen had returned home from CNRI and met her mother Moira Queen back in the manor, just when Oliver confronted her regarding the Undertaking, before they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

John Diggle and Felicity Smoak were in the basement of the club, researching the insignia from the notebook that showed the area of the subway underneath the Glades and the data they had downloaded from Merlyn Global Group before they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Tommy Merlyn was in his office in Merlyn Global Group, bitter after his encounter with Oliver but considering, whether he should make amends with Laurel before he disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

The group of eight of them fell down on the floor as they appeared in some kind of a living room, as there was a large widescreen TV on the wall and a couch behind them and a table in front of them.

"What the hell?" Quentin groaned as he got up.

"What the… where are we?" Laurel wondered as she looked around.

"Ow. My body. Everything hurts… inside my body." Felicity groaned as she fell down.

"What's going on?" Thea demanded before she realized something. "Roy, get off me!"

"Sorry." Roy said as he got off her. While he did enjoy being on the young Queen, this was neither the time or place for this, wherever they were. "Does anyone know what just happened?"

"I think we're all as confused as you are." Moira said.

"What the hell is this place?" Diggle wondered.

"It will all get cleared up soon." A new female voice, but  _very_  familiar to the group, save for Roy, Diggle and Felicity, said as they turned to the door to see…

" _Sara_?" Laurel widened her eyes in disbelief as she got up, shock flooding through most of the present.

"That's impossible." Thea said, frozen in shock.

"No way." Tommy shook his head in denial.

"It can't be…" Moira whispered as they all, save for Roy, Diggle and Felicity, stared at her in disbelief.

"Baby girl?" Quentin murmured, not believing his own eyes. She seemed few years older than the last time they saw her but the dirty blonde hair, the cheeks, the big blue eyes and the freckles on her face…

"That's impossible, you're dead." Thea said what they were all thinking.

"Wait, Sara, as in " _Sara Lance_ "?" Roy asked, finally realizing who it was as he, Diggle and Felicity turned to them all.

"Wait, isn't she supposed to be…" Felicity trailed off, completely confused.

"Ollie said that he watched her die, that she drowned." Thea nodded, confused.

"What the hell is going on here?" Laurel demanded, thinking this was some kind of a bad dream, confusion and anger filling her.

Sara smiled softly, tears filling her eyes before she hugged Laurel tightly and broke down. At first, Laurel was shocked, when Sara hugged her but then, nostalgia followed, when her baby sister was sad or upset as Laurel often comforted her and it took minutes for her and Quentin to let the truth settle in.

"I never thought I was gonna see you again." Sara said as Laurel's eyes filled with tears too.

"Baby girl?" Quentin whispered, still not believing it as he neared her, while she hugged him tightly.

"Hey, Daddy." Was all Sara said as the dam of feelings she had been bottling up, burst out.

Quentin's emotions were running wild, not sure how to process what was happening before he returned the hug slowly and tears filled his eyes. "Sara?" As it all sank in, realizing it was her, he let her go, wondering if this was a miracle. "How…"

"We all thought you were dead." Thea said, finally speaking up after absorbing the truth as she looked around, confused. "What… Sara… what is going on here?"

Sara breathed out, getting ahold of herself. "Sorry, I… this is all harder than I thought it was gonna be. To see you all again."

"Wait…" Laurel trailed off. "You were alive this whole time?" Then, the disbelief and sadness were quickly being replaced by anger as she started to pound Sara into her chest. "And you… you… where the hell have you been? Five years, Sara! Five years you let us all believe you were dead and…"

"Laurel, I know you're angry but calm down, please." Sara held Laurel's hands. "I… I understand you must be angry and confused but you're gonna find what I'm about to tell you, hard to believe." Then she took a breath, realizing that this was going to be hard to tell them all, while holding back tears. "This… this is future."

" _Future_?" Diggle and Felicity repeated, not believing.

" _What_?" Roy demanded, skeptical. "Yeah. And I'm Batman."

"Gideon." Sara said as the windows opened and they saw that they were high above a city in ruins.

"Wait, this is Starling City." Quentin recognized it.

"What the hell?" Roy said what everyone was wondering, that their hometown was in ruins.

"Please, someone tell me I'm high." Diggle said, not believing his own eyes.

"I know this is hard to believe but everything I'm telling you, is true. This is Starling City, thirty years from your present." Sara said.

"Future…" Laurel whispered as Quentin sighed. After what he had been through with the Hood lately…

"OK, I'll bite. You're saying this is thirty years in the future from our present?" Quentin drawled as Sara nodded and he wiped his face, still trying to process this.

"Wait, so…" Tommy trailed off, something hitting him. "You didn't die on the Gambit, like Oliver said." Sara shook her head. "Why would he tell us that he watched you die?"

"Because I made him promise to tell you, if I didn't make it back with him." Sara said before sighing. "It all… what I'll show you, I want you to understand what has happened to him. Gideon."

On the screen was a footage of Oliver wearing a hood that everyone immediately recognized, fighting his way through a corridor of thugs, before he opened a door to see disheveled Walter Steele.

"Walter!" Moira said in relief that her husband had been found as Thea seemed to relax too.

Then the scene changed to Oliver, in his hood, fighting a man that everyone recognized as the copycat archer that appeared during Christmas before Oliver ripped his mask off to show the face of Malcolm Merlyn, much to everyone's shock, as his father was holding Oliver in chokehold.

"What the hell?!" Tommy exclaimed, not believing his own eyes before they saw Oliver drive an arrow through his own shoulder, piercing Malcolm's chest as the latter let Oliver go, while Oliver punched him, knocking him on the ground before they saw the Glades crumble.

Moira gulped, realizing that Malcolm apparently succeeded in his Undertaking as Diggle and Felicity paled, wondering if the subway map that they found in the notebook, was connected to the Glades crumbling.

The next footage showed the Hood and a blonde in black leather fighting a black man, with a grenade launcher, in the ruined Glades.

The next footage showed Oliver and Sara talking in the stockroom in Verdant, and then it clicked for Laurel and Quentin as they turned to her.

"Wait, you're the…" Quentin trailed off. The fact, that Oliver was the vigilante, did not really surprise him but seeing that Sara apparently became another one too, completely stunned him. They saw Oliver and Sara driving on a bike through the night in Starling City before seeing Oliver in a body armor, alongside with a blonde that seemed a little different than the one in the previous scene, a young archer in red hood and leather suit, who seemed to be of Roy's height and John Diggle, much to their surprise.

"I think that's enough." Sara said as the viewers, save for Diggle and Felicity, looked stunned. Suddenly, all things about Oliver were making sense before they turned to her.

"So… Oliver is… he…" Thea trailed off. The lies, the disappearing and excuses, it all suddenly made sense. Whenever he'd run off out of the sudden and lied… he was actually saving someone's life, Roy's included.

Roy also started to see Oliver in a different light, much like Thea. He just assumed that Oliver was a spoiled trust fund brat but now… now Roy saw that Oliver and the man he had been looking for, the man, who had saved his life in the subway few days ago, were one and the same person.

Quentin then realized that he had been right about Oliver all along and that Oliver must have planned for the event that someone would catch up on him. However, instead of trying to arrest the Hood, now he wondered, why would his own daughter, from the future, reveal this to them and what was motivating her and Oliver.

Moira wasn't really surprised, after Oliver had confronted her about the Undertaking.

But, then they noticed the lack of surprise in Tommy's, Diggle's and Felicity's faces as they turned to them, regarding the fact that Oliver was the vigilante.

"You know?" Laurel realized.

"Wait, you know that Ollie is the Hood?!" Thea snapped.

"How long have you known, Merlyn?!" Quentin demanded.

"I…" Tommy paused.

"We saw Mr. Diggle on the footage but you…" Moira trailed off.

"Oh, it all makes sense now." Laurel said, remembering the recent tension between Oliver and Tommy. "That's why you two have been on odds lately. Ever since your Dad was almost killed."

"Wait, he told you he was the Hood?" Moira demanded. "How? When?"

"Tommy had Ollie dead to rights, when Malcolm was dying from curare poisoning and Tommy wouldn't let Ollie help his father, so Ollie eventually revealed himself to him." Sara said as Tommy seemed to be too shocked to say anything as everyone turned to her in surprise. "Future, remember?"

For a few moments, everyone was completely stunned before Quentin realized something. "Wait, so that copycat archer that showed up during Christmas and Malcolm Merlyn…"

"…are one and the same person." Sara finished, nodding as Moira paled, realizing that Malcolm was much more dangerous than she had feared him to be, while everyone, especially Tommy, Thea and Laurel, who remembered him as the man, who used to amuse them with his magician tricks, when they were children, were shocked that the man, who once was like a funny uncle to the younger ones, and a close friend of the Queens, was actually a ruthless killer, who had no regard towards innocent lives and Diggle and Felicity trailed off, wondering what kind of mess did they get themselves into. All they wanted, was to help Oliver in his mission to save his city by crossing names off the list and stopping the criminals that would endanger Starling City.

Then, Laurel, Tommy, Moira and Thea remembered Oliver's "accident" during the Christmas and realized that he was beaten up during his encounter with the copycat archer as they realized how dangerous Malcolm was as suddenly all pieces fell together, the sudden disappearances, the injuries Oliver had endured during Christmas…

"Wait, why are you showing us this?" Roy asked, finally speaking up after they saw the events that Sara had shown them. "I mean, if this is future, you wouldn't have brought us here without a reason. You want to change something."

"You've always been smarter than we give you credit for." Sara smiled at Roy.

"And how are you even alive?" Thea wondered.

"It will all be explained in what I'm about to show you." Sara said. "I want you all to understand what drives Oliver. You all saw him as the same person he was five years ago but… you need to know that what had happened to him during those five years, it all turned him into… someone else. Something else."

"Someone he doesn't even recognize anymore." Diggle added, remembering what he told Oliver after he had revealed himself to him as Laurel suddenly remembered what he told her about being damaged, when she had confronted him about his scars and the polygraph test he had taken because of her father, wondering what did happen to him.

Sara nodded. "Back then, we were stupid, reckless kids but you need to understand that… those five years have turned us both into something different. What I'm about to show you… it's gonna show the five years of what Oliver had been through, when he was gone."

"Seriously?" Felicity asked, as they were all genuinely curious what did happen to Oliver.

"Most of you treated him as the same person, who he was before the Gambit, an irresponsible brat but none of you could see that the Hell he had gone through, have turned him into a completely different person." Sara pointed out and Laurel, Moira, Thea, Tommy and Quentin had to admit she had a point. "I just want you all to understand. But I'm not gonna lie, you won't like most of what you're about to see. And you're…" She flushed in embarrassment as she turned to Laurel and Quentin. "You're gonna be rightfully pissed at me."

"Well. Show us." Roy said as Sara nodded.

"Gideon. Turn it on." Sara said as the screen turned on as everyone looked intrigued.

**The Queen's Gambit sailed through the storm in the sea as one of the crewmen entered, recommending to head back due to the possible danger, with the storm being Category 2.**

"Wait, Category 2 doesn't seem serious enough for the Gambit to sink." Laurel said, confused because she knew that the yacht had been through more dangerous waters before.

"Because someone planted a bomb on the boat and wanted Robert dead." Sara said grimly as Thea, Quentin, Laurel and Moira looked at her in horror and Moira wondered how did Sara know. Diggle and Felicity weren't really surprised, considering that Diggle found out, when he was spying on Moira.

"What?!" Quentin demanded.

"Who… I… who would've wanted to kill Dad?" Thea asked, horrified.

Felicity was about to open her mouth but Diggle stopped her as he gave her a glare and subtly shook his head. Revealing right now that Moira apparently knew about the sabotage, was not going to end well.

"Now's not the time for this, I think it will be time to mention it later." Diggle whispered and Felicity nodded lightly in understanding.

"I'll explain everything to you later." Sara said. "Just keep watching. I know you have a lot of questions and I'll answer as much as I can but right now's not the time."

**Robert agreed, intending to form a crew before Oliver entered, asking if they were in trouble, before Sara, wearing nothing but a nightrobe and her undergarments, appeared, teasing Oliver as he ordered her to return back to the bedroom.**

Moira and Thea were glad to see Robert alive and alright in the past but then, they, Tommy, Quentin and Laurel looked more annoyed and disgusted than anything, when they saw younger Sara, in her more rebellious days, flirting with Oliver.

"Oh, Oliver…" Diggle sighed and Felicity shook her head in annoyance, that they saw Oliver acting more like a classic trust fund brat.

"Typical." Felicity muttered, not really surprised by Oliver's shenanigans.

"Seriously?!" Laurel snapped. "You want us to see what happened to Oliver during the five years he was gone and the first thing we see, is how you two cheat on me?!" She whirled on Sara, angry.

Sara flushed slightly but remained unfazed. "Look, I'm not proud of what I did and you have every right to be angry at me. But trust me, what's about to happen, it'll make this look like nothing." She said grimly and the deadly look she had in her eyes, caused for Laurel to shift back uneasily as she, Tommy, Quentin, Moira and Thea were disturbed by Sara's bluntness and brutal honesty, making them wonder what happened to her. "It may look like sunshine and rainbows right now but after the Gambit went down, it was all " _Out of the frying pan into the fire_ "."

They turned their attention to the screen, wondering how it was gonna turn out bad.

**Oliver seemed to be smiling happy before Robert warned him that what he was doing with the younger sister of his girlfriend, cheating on her like that, was not going to end well for either of the youngsters.**

"No kidding." Quentin said as he remembered the telephone conversation he had with Sara, when she was supposedly in college, wondering how the hell did he not put it together.

**Oliver and Sara were in the bedroom, drinking wine as they teased each other, while Oliver sat next to Sara in bed as the young Lance said that Laurel was going to kill her but Oliver assured her that Laurel would never find out.**

"Oh, come on, do we really have to see that?" Laurel groaned as she looked away in disgust and Thea, Felicity and Quentin covered their eyes and Moira shook her head in disapproval.

**They were about to make out on the bed, when they heard thunder, which startled Sara. Oliver assured her as they kissed before the yacht flipped over, causing for Oliver, Sara and the furniture to fall as they hit the wall.**

"Oh, my God." Moira said, causing for Laurel, Thea, Felicity and Quentin to turn their attention to the screen again.

**Oliver was dazed as he got up, looking for Sara and as his vision cleared, in horror, he saw her get sucked out of the yacht as Oliver vainly attempted to reach out, while Sara screamed out Oliver's name before the sea and the darkness consumed her.**

Felicity, Moira, Laurel and Thea gasped in horror.

"No!" Quentin exclaimed.

"Oh, my God…" Roy whispered and Diggle tensed.

"I survived." Sara assured them as they turned to her, staring for a moment before relaxing. "But as far as Ollie knew back then, I didn't make it. He thought I was dead."

**A few moments later, Oliver was sucked out of the Gambit onto the open sea as well as he swam to the surface, while he attempted to vainly call out for Sara.**

**The lifeboat, on which was Robert and his bodyguard, Dave Hackett, neared Oliver as he got onboard. Oliver vainly screamed out Sara's name and wanted to save her before they saw the Gambit sink to the bottom of the sea as Robert told Oliver that there was nothing they could do for her anymore.**

"He did try to save you." Quentin said.

"Oh, Ollie…" Laurel sighed, realizing how hard it must have been for him.

"But… you said that you survived." Thea realized as she turned to Sara. "He thought you were dead but you made it out alive."

Sara nodded and Quentin and Laurel relaxed and felt more than a bit ashamed of how they accused Oliver of killing Sara.

"I did. But…" Sara sighed. "…what happened to me, wasn't any better than what Oliver had been through, as you're about to see."

Suddenly, Quentin and Laurel tensed again and considering the scars they knew Oliver had, they all wondered how bad it must have been for Sara.

"Sara, are we…" Laurel paused. "Are we gonna…"

"No. You're gonna see in here some pieces of what me and Ollie had gone through but I'm not gonna show you everything from when I was… gone. Trust me, you're better off not knowing what happened to me." Sara said with a serious look in her eyes as Laurel, Quentin, Tommy, Moira and Thea had to wonder what did happen to her. They remembered her as reckless, rebellious young girl but now she was more reserved and serious and apparently had been through a lot of pain as they realized it wasn't any easy for her to relive what they were seeing.

**A little while later, Robert handed Oliver a bottle of water but Hackett protested that they were wasting supplies. Robert, however wanted for his son to survive, no matter what.**

Tommy, Laurel, Moira and Thea smiled that Robert was looking after Oliver, no matter what. Quentin, while he didn't like that Oliver made it to the raft and Sara didn't, he couldn't fault Robert for wasting the supplies on his own child, as Quentin would've done the same thing for Sara, if they were in their place.

**Robert apologized for not being the man Oliver had believed him to be and that he had failed his city, much to Oliver's confusion.**

"Wait, what does he mean by that?" Thea asked, not understanding, as Quentin, Laurel, Roy and Tommy were as much confused.

"Do you think he's talking about the List?" Felicity asked as Diggle nodded.

"Possibly."

"You know about the List?" Moira demanded, turning to them before she remembered that the people that the Hood had targeted, were people from the list and then she realized that Robert must have given him it.

"Wait, what List?" Roy asked, confused.

"It will all be explained soon enough." Sara said.

"Wait, Ollie said that Dad drowned on Gambit. Why would he lie about that?" Thea asked, when they saw that Robert was alive.

"Well…" Sara sighed. "You're about to see in a moment. And trust me, the truth was far much worse than what Oliver had told you. He wanted to spare you and Moira of that pain."

**The lifeboat seemed to drift on the sea for hours, maybe even days, as Oliver, Robert and Hackett were clearly tired, with Oliver sleeping and leaning onto his father, who had his arm around Oliver. Robert apologized to Oliver, pleading for him to be strong, to survive and make it back home, while Oliver was still unconscious. Robert insisted for Oliver to make Starling City better and right Robert's wrongs. Oliver, however did not seem to pay much attention, due to exhaustion, starvation and thirst, wanting to rest as he closed his eyes.**

"What wrongs? What does he mean by that?" Tommy asked, not understanding.

"The List, the people that the Hood had been targeting, Robert and… a group of other people…" Sara said carefully as she gave Moira a look as the latter paled. "Wanted to coerce criminals and businessmen like them to leverage them to making the city a better place. However, it did not seem to work."

**Robert pushed Oliver gently away before he pulled a gun out of his jacket.**

"Dad…" Thea said, horrified, wondering what was he going to do.

**Robert shot Hackett in the head as Hackett fell over, into the sea and Oliver woke up, startled, looking at his father in confusion.**

They all looked stunned and shocked, not believing that Robert would've done something like this, killing a man.

"Dad!" Thea wailed in shock.

**Robert told Oliver to survive before putting the gun to his temple, much to Oliver's horror and pulled the trigger, committing suicide.**

Thea, Felicity, Moira and Laurel screamed in horror, covering their mouths as Quentin, Tommy and Diggle looked stunned at what just happened. Suddenly, Thea and Moira broke down in tears as Thea leaned onto her mother, sobbing into her shoulder as Moira wrapped her arms around Thea's head, trying to soothe her. Felicity wasn't any better as she vainly attempted to hold back tears as Diggle had his arm around her head, doing whatever little he could to comfort her.

Roy felt a lot of sympathy for Oliver, reconsidering his own opinion on him, considering that he saw his own mother commit suicide after vainly fighting off drug addiction.

Tommy just stared in shock, not believing his own eyes, frozen at his spot. "Jesus Christ, Ollie…" Tommy said, wondering how awful it must have been for Oliver, feeling ashamed of how he had been treating his best friend after finding out his secret.

A while back, Quentin would've thought that Oliver had not suffered enough because of what happened to Sara. Considering that she seemed to have survived, Quentin instead started to wonder how bad it must have been for Oliver as he realized that how bad his treatment of Oliver was, when Quentin arrested him and interrogated him.

Laurel just stared, her mind not quite processing what just happened before she remembered how she had told Oliver that he had not suffered enough or that she had wished he should have rotten in Hell longer than five years. Seeing now that his own father had committed suicide right in front of him, she was more left to wonder how bad it must have been for him and considering what Sara described, it was all about to become much worse.

"I'm sorry you all had to see that. But you need to understand how hard it all was for him." Sara said as she paused the footage, letting them all process what they had just seen. Few minutes later, they all pulled themselves together but Felicity, Thea and Moira still had their eyes wet as they sniffed.

"Keep going." Moira said as Sara unpaused the recording.

**It all became too much to bear for Oliver as he was passing out again. When he came to, he saw the island of Lian Yu.**

"That's it, right?" Laurel realized.

"Lian Yu. The purgatory." Sara nodded as they all were genuinely both intrigued and worried what happened to Oliver on the island.

**As the lifeboat washed ashore, Oliver decided to give his father a proper funeral, wrapping his corpse in one of the covers of the lifeboat as he mourned for a moment. Feeling sick, from what he had just been through, Oliver retched and vomited and coughed out before the seagulls were about to eat on Robert's corpse before Oliver scared them off.**

"Oh, Oliver." Moira sighed as they all looked at him sadly.

Whatever anger Quentin and Laurel had for Oliver, was replaced by sympathy and pity.

**Oliver grabbed Robert's body and put it on the rock hill nearby before he found a notebook in Robert's pocket that piqued Oliver's interest as he picked it. Oliver took a look but all the pages were blank, much to Oliver's confusion before he found a strange insignia on the first page of the notebook.**

"Is that…" Felicity trailed off and Diggle nodded, it was the map of subway under the Glades.

"At least he was still with him." Thea said as she realized that Robert's body was on the island.

"Wait, you said that the notebook contained a list of names that Ollie was after." Laurel said, confused. "There are… blank pages."

"You'll see." Sara said and Quentin sighed. He had a feeling his daughter was going to say this a lot.

**Oliver pocketed the notebook before burying his father under a pile of rocks but then suddenly, he cried out in pain as he was shot from behind into his right shoulder by an arrow. Oliver fell down, leaning onto Robert's grave, screaming in pain as he turned around to see an archer in green hood in the distance at the shores of Lian Yu as he notched another arrow.**

"What the hell?!" Roy demanded as they all looked in horror to see Oliver injured, just right after he got onto safe land.

"Who the…" Thea trailed off.

"Wait, that hood…" Felicity said, recognizing it as she looked at it closely.

"That must be Yao Fei." Diggle realized as Sara nodded.

"Yao  _who_?" Tommy asked, not understanding.

"You're about to see in a moment." Sara said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Is it good? Is it bad? Should I continue?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


	2. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see Oliver trying to survive as he meets Yao Fei and is tortured by Fyers before seeing what did Robert ask Oliver to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"I can't believe she's really doing this." Charlie said, worried about Sara.

"Me neither but honestly, I can't blame her." Zari nodded as they were in their quarters.

"Aren't you worried that she might…" Ray trailed off.

"…blink us all out of existence?" Nate drawled as he turned to his best friend.

"You wanna look her in the eye and say that, Haircut?" Mick challenged. "Did you forget what she did to Englishman, when she found out that her sister was gonna die?"

Ray paled, realizing that pissing Sara off was a bad idea. "I guess it's too late to turn back now."

"It doesn't look like it's bad right now, anyway." Zari pointed out. "If it really was that bad, there'd be a timequake."

"Good point." Ray agreed.

* * *

"Who was that man?" Quentin asked.

"Yao Fei, one of the first people Ollie met throughout those five years and who taught him what he knows and how to survive." Sara said. "He did treat Ollie… harshly but it was for his own good. You'll see."

**The footage continued as Oliver passed out from being shot by an arrow and when he woke up, Oliver saw that he was in a cavern, the arrow still sticking out of his shoulder.**

"Shouldn't he just… take it off?" Tommy asked slowly as Diggle and Quentin turned to him, glaring.

"Tommy, have you ever been shot by a bullet?" Quentin drawled and Tommy paled. "Trust me, the first time you get shot, it's no fun. And it hurts like hell trying to pull it out and it's even worse to get used to going through all of it, over and over."

"It's not a splinter, Merlyn, besides, it's probably gonna be one of the countless injuries that we'll see Oliver endure and it certainly is going to hurt like hell." Diggle pointed out. "Oliver certainly has built up a high tolerance for pain throughout the five years but who knows how much pain he must have gone through in the first year to be as strong as he seems to be."

"They're right." Sara nodded and Roy nodded too, considering that he himself has had it rough, growing up in the Glades.

"Ollie…" Thea trailed off, wondering how much pain her brother must have been through throughout the five years and cursing herself for comparing her own pain to his own, realizing that it was nothing compared to what Oliver had been through as Laurel remembered seeing Oliver's scars and how he told her that she was worried he would have seen him as damaged as they felt ashamed and guilty of how they had treated Oliver.

Moira was becoming more and more worried about how much pain was she going to see her son going through and more guilt filled her as she remembered how she shot her own son, while Felicity remembered how she had to help Diggle patch Oliver up, worried about what Oliver must have been through.

**Oliver stared at Yao Fei in confusion as the Asian took off his hood as the Asian explained that he shot Oliver to protect him, in Chinese as on the screen were subtitles translating Yao Fei's Chinese. Yao Fei handed Oliver a bowl of water and a handful of herbs. Oliver then realized that Yao Fei was trying to feed him as he took a small pinch of herbs into his mouth and choked and coughed at the taste before drinking water from the bowl in Yao Fei's hand. Yao Fei grabbed the arrow and pulled it out of Oliver's shoulder as Oliver cried out in pain before he passed out again.**

"Oliver…" Moira whispered as Thea, Felicity and Laurel were trying to pull themselves together as they saw how much pain was Oliver in. Thea was unable to hold back tears.

Diggle himself had a lot of sympathy towards him as he knew some soldiers, who had to rely on herbs and water as their medicine, while having to improvised without any tools as they were pulling out shrapnel and bullets from their wounds.

Tommy stared, partly admiring and partly being jealous of Oliver at his tenacity but it did not make seeing his best friend in pain, any easier.

Quentin found himself less and less angry at Oliver and more pitying him over what he had been through. He had convinced himself that Oliver should have suffered more but now, he was more worried about how much pain would Oliver have to go through.

Roy now saw Oliver in a much different light and instead of being bitter towards him for being a trust fund brat, as Roy had assumed him to be, now he more wondered, how rough it must have been for Oliver to survive as he remembered himself growing up in the streets but Roy  _knew_  that his own life was  _nothing_ compared to what Oliver must have been through in the past five years as he grew more and more curious about what happened to Oliver.

**When Oliver came to, Yao Fei was next to him, sleeping. Oliver got up on his feet but his injured shoulder was not making it easy for him as he grinned, trying to ignore the pain before Oliver ran out from the cavern into the forest. Oliver stumbled before getting up as he continued running. Oliver then stopped, trying to catch his breath as he paced down the forest and as he stopped, Oliver heard some creaking before suddenly, the net covered under the leaves, closed under Oliver, trapping him as he was hanging above the ground.**

"Ollie!" Thea exclaimed as Moira gasped in horror.

"Oh, come on, can he ever get a break?" Tommy groaned.

"Not as often as you'd like him to." Sara said dryly.

Quentin shifted uneasily, wondering how much worse it could get for Oliver. Whatever anger Quentin had towards Oliver, was at this point replaced by sympathy and worry as Diggle was more intrigued than anything, since he himself had been going through a lot of trouble too, the first time he went on tour in Afghanistan and wondering how was Oliver able to survive.

Laurel and Felicity just stared, tense, worried how much worse it could get for Oliver, unable to say anything.

**Oliver vainly tried to struggle out before he passed out again. As he came to, Oliver gasped to see a blade of a knife few inches from his face as Yao Fei was standing next to him. Yao Fei cursed Oliver for being a fool in Mandarin that he was wandering alone on the island. Yao Fei cut him loose as Oliver fell down, groaning, while Yao Fei warned him that _they_  would kill him.**

"They  _who_?" Roy wondered.

**Oliver heard something as he realized someone was nearing him as Oliver struggled to get up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. Oliver left as later, men in black military outfit, with guns, were checking the net that someone had cut down before they left.**

"Mercenaries." Diggle said, recognizing their moving patterns. "A lot of mercenaries have a certain pattern in their tactics."

"Wait, there were mercenaries on the island?!" Thea demanded and countless of dreadful scenarios of how Oliver got his scars suddenly rushed through her mind.

"Mercenaries, pirates and much more dangerous guys and things that Ollie had to face that you can't even imagine." Sara nodded and everyone became worried about what kind of trouble did Oliver get himself into on Lian Yu.

"Jesus…" Tommy said, wondering what all Oliver must have endured during the five years he was gone.

**Oliver was back in the cavern, staring at the worn photo of Laurel that he had pulled out of his wallet before Yao Fei entered, with a bird in a bamboo cage, putting the cage down as Yao Fei said "Shēngcún", much to Oliver's confusion, not understanding. Yao Fei repeated "Shēngcún" as Oliver was still confused, wondering if Yao Fei was referring to the bird in the cage. Yao Fei again repeated the word, which now frustrated Oliver as he did not understand what Yao Fei wanted. Yao Fei then left the cavern as Oliver stared at the photo of Laurel in his hand, apologizing for cheating on her.**

Thea had tears streaming down her face as neither Laurel or Moira were any better. Quentin was growing more and more sympathetic towards Oliver instead of being angry at him, realizing how hard it must have been for Oliver on the island as he felt ashamed and guilty of how he had been treating Oliver.

"Oliver…" Diggle trailed off, knowing how hard it must have been for Oliver and Felicity, who had assumed that it wasn't all that bad for him, found it harder and harder to watch and was more worried about how bad it could have gone for him.

**A while later, Yao Fei was cooking a rat on a stick, roasting it above a small fireplace, while Oliver, hungry, took notice. He attempted to take the rat but Yao Fei grabbed Oliver by his hand and threw him down as Oliver yelped, grumbling.**

"Hey!" Thea exclaimed angrily, glaring.

"Come on, he's hungry, he can't blame him for that!" Tommy protested.

"One thing Ollie would learn the hard way, to earn something, you need to fight for it." Sara said.

**Yao Fei pointed at the bird in the cage as he made gestures with his hands, again repeating "Shēngcún" before Oliver turned to the bird, realizing that Yao Fei was saying that Oliver had to kill the bird, if he wanted to eat, much to Oliver's dismay.**

"No." Felicity shook her head, realizing what Yao Fei wanted. "No way. Tell me he's not gonna kill that poor thing."

"If he wants to eat, he has no other choice." Diggle pointed out.

**Yao Fei scoffed, as Oliver stared at the bird for a few hours, starving, while Yao Fei was approaching a table and was making ropes. Oliver seemed to be disturbed at the thought that he'd have to kill to survive. Finally accepting that it was the only way he could eat, Oliver opened the cage, grabbing the bird as he looked at the harmless animal in remorse, apologizing for what he was about to do. Oliver looked up, not being able to watch at the sight as he grabbed the bird by his head and he coughed in disgust as he heard the bones crack as he killed the bird with his bare hands.**

Thea and Felicity squirmed, feeling uncomfortable as their eyes were getting wet.

Tommy wiped his face, realizing how hard it must have been for Oliver to stay alive as he cursed himself for not listening to his best friend, when Oliver offered to explain himself to him.

Laurel was barely able to hold back tears as she found it harder and harder to be angry at him. While she did forgive him for what happened to her sister, especially after she found out that Sara apparently survived, it did not make the guilt she felt for how she had been treating him since he came back, any easier.

Quentin didn't think he could feel sad for Oliver as he had accused him of being a killer. But seeing this… how Oliver felt sick from having to kill something as harmless and innocent as the little bird… Quentin sighed as guilt and shame filled him. Quentin hoped that he would get a chance to apologize to Oliver for how he had been treating him, if they ever got back.

**Oliver then roasted the bird above the fire until it was eatable as he had it on a stick and got to eating his meal. While disgusted, Oliver was happy to finally have something to eat after weeks of being on the island before Yao Fei sat across him, saying "Shēngcún" again as Oliver nodded, assuming that Yao Fei was referring to the bird. To Oliver's surprise, Yao Fei corrected him in English that "Shēngcún" actually meant "survive".**

"Wait, he knew English the whole time?" Thea demanded angrily. "Why did he…"

"He was testing Oliver." Sara explained. "And it's not the last crazy test that Oliver was going to go through here."

**Yao Fei explained that if Oliver wanted to survive on Lian Yu, the bird in his hands would not be the last thing Oliver was going to kill. Then he pulled out a photo of Laurel, advising for Oliver that it would be best to forget about her because staring at the photo of Laurel was going to get him killed.**

"He has a point there." Diggle nodded as everyone turned to him in confusion. "Look, I don't mean any offense to anyone here but if Oliver wanted to survive, he could not dwell on the past and staring at the photo, he needed to focus on how he was going to make it the next day. Sometimes it means to forget about the people that you love that are far away beyond your reach."

They all considered Diggle's words as they turned to the screen.

**Some time later, they were outside as Yao Fei shot a rabbit with an arrow, explaining Oliver that it was going to be their dinner. Oliver asked Yao Fei to let him shoot from the bow as Yao Fei offered his bow to him, advising Oliver how to shoot. Yao Fei instructed for Oliver to shoot at a tree nearby, while Oliver notched an arrow and let go of the bowstring. The arrow flied, missing its mark.**

"Oh, come on, really?" Felicity wondered, considering how she saw how good Oliver was with a bow and arrow.

"He needs to improve his form." Thea pointed out, as she was the only one experienced in archery.

"He was just getting started, you can't expect him to become Legolas in one day." Sara pointed out.

**Yao Fei said something in Chinese that confused Oliver again before Yao Fei explained that Oliver was going to die badly, much to Oliver's annoyance.**

"Wow. Thanks a lot, Debbie Downer." Felicity grumbled.

**Yao Fei ordered Oliver to get the arrow as Oliver sighed, annoyed. Glowering, Oliver handed Yao Fei his bow before going to search for the arrow that he had fired. As he was going deeper into the forest and found the arrow, suddenly, some masked soldiers grabbed Oliver, cuffing him before throwing him into a hole and closing the bamboo grate. Oliver begged for them to let him go as he grabbed the grate before one of them whacked Oliver's fingers with the butt of his rifle as Oliver screamed in pain.**

"Ollie…" Laurel whispered as they all tensed, worried about what was going to happen to Oliver now. "Are those the…"

"The same mercenaries that you saw earlier." Sara nodded.

**They ignored Oliver's pleas before they dragged him down the forest into some kind of a military camp by two soldiers into a tent as Oliver leaned onto a support pole in pain before he noticed a middle-aged blonde man across him at the table as the man offered Oliver to sit down, speaking with a British accent. The man politely apologized for how the soldiers had treated Oliver before introducing himself as Edward Fyers, while he poured himself a glass of soda, that Oliver eyed, missing the sweet taste.**

"Who is he?" Quentin wondered.

"Edward Fyers. Leader of the mercenaries that you just saw. And one of the long line of the bastards that Oliver had to deal with on the island." Sara said grimly as everyone paled, wondering how dangerous this guy was.

**Oliver told Fyers, who he was, explaining how he got onto the island and offering Fyers to be paid by his family's money in exchange for Oliver's rescue, which intrigued Fyers.**

**Fyers then showed a photo from a crate behind him as Oliver took a look, recognizing the man on the photo as Yao Fei but without a beard and shorter hair, wearing People's Liberation Army uniform as Fyers asked Oliver if he had seen him. Oliver shook his head, denying ever seeing him.**

"What the hell is he doing?" Felicity wondered. "I mean, not that I wouldn't tell that guy but why is Oliver…"

"Oliver isn't stupid." Diggle said. "He knows there's something off about Fyers and you saw how Yao Fei told him to be careful and how he was avoiding the mercenaries, so he's trying to be careful around him."

"" _Careful_ " being the operative word." Quentin said, his cop instincts turning on as they told him  _not_  to trust this guy too but he also knew that Fyers was not stupid enough to take Oliver's word at the drop of the hat as he noticed that Oliver seemed to be a poor liar as he realized that it apparently was a feat that he had mastered during the five years he was gone as Quentin realized that Oliver must have tricked the polygraph test.

**Fyers saw right through Oliver as he dropped the photo and warned Oliver to tell the truth but Oliver again denied ever seeing Yao Fei. Fyers warned Oliver that the island he was on, was called Lian Yu, "purgatory" in Mandarin and he could make it look like Hell for Oliver as he got up, cursing Oliver for being a fool for protecting Yao Fei.**

"Oh, no." Moira paled, her maternal instincts telling her that it was about to be a lot worse for Oliver.

**Fyers then left the tent before Oliver turned around and paled to see another man enter. It was a tall man wearing a black body armor with a belt of grenades across him, half gold, half black balaclava mask, holding an Uzi in his hand and to his back strapped a sword.**

Thea grabbed Moira's hand tightly and Felicity paled at the sight of the man, gripping Diggle's arm. Laurel gulped, worried for Oliver as she  _knew_  this guy was dangerous and Diggle and Quentin knew from the look in the man's eyes that he was planning to inflict a lot of pain on Oliver, seeing the flicker of sadism in his eyes. Quentin was now genuinely worried for Oliver and Tommy was hoping that this was a nightmare from which Oliver was going to wake up at any moment.

**The soldiers restrained Oliver to the tent pole as Fyers requested for Oliver to tell where Yao Fei was. Oliver said nothing as Fyers glanced at the masked man, who pulled out his sword and cut into Oliver's chest as Oliver screamed in pain.**

Moira gasped in shock as tears filled her eyes as she covered Thea's own eyes as she was unable to watch the pain Oliver was going through.

Diggle felt a lot of sympathy for Oliver, as he himself had been tortured and Felicity turned her eyes away from the screen, unable to watch as she was on verge of tears but she could still hear Oliver's screams of pain as she leaned her face onto Diggle's shoulder.

Laurel was barely able to keep her tears at bay as she stared, unable to process what Oliver was going through and Quentin just gasped softly in shock and felt deep pity for Oliver as he was going through pain Quentin would never have wished upon him as he and Laurel realized that whatever pain they had convinced themselves that Oliver deserved, was nothing compared to what they were seeing him go through.

Tommy couldn't cry, as much as he would have wanted to as he begged for the pain his best friend was going through, to stop as he felt deep sympathy for Oliver and shame filled him for not listening to his best friend, when he attempted to explain himself and Roy turned away in disgust, not being able to watch.

Sara paused as she let them absorb what they had just seen, none of them being able to speak for minutes before Quentin turned to Moira and Thea in disgust.

"Moira. Thea. I…" Quentin paused before he found the strength to speak up. "I'm sorry." They all turned to him, surprised. "For everything since Oliver came back. I really am. If I had known… I can't change what I did. But I want you to know… I promise I'll treat Oliver better from now on."

They were surprised that Quentin would promise something like that but they didn't really fault him for that, considering what they just saw.

**The masked man continued to cut below Oliver's shoulder as his screams continued. The torture continued until Oliver was too weak to endure the pain as he stared down on the ground as Fyers seemed impressed by how much pain was Oliver able to endure and did not break, despite the torture.**

Everyone was surprised that Oliver did not break, despite the torture.

**Fyers ordered for the masked man to kill Oliver and put him out of his misery.**

"No!" Everyone cried out in horror.

**Suddenly, as Fyers was about to leave the tent, a soldier entered, falling down on Fyers before Yao Fei entered, firing an arrow and cutting the restraints around Oliver's hands as he fell down.**

Everyone suddenly relaxed, realizing that Yao Fei wasn't going to let Oliver die.

**Yao Fei fired another arrow at the masked man, who caught it inches away from his left eye and broke it. The masked man pulled out his sword as Yao Fei blocked his strikes with his bow. Yao Fei whacked the masked man in the face with his bow before hitting him in the leg as the masked man kneeled. Yao Fei grabbed the masked man and jumped over his back, flipping him over.**

"He's good." Diggle noted. "I can see some of Oliver's moves from him."

**Yao Fei then dodged as the masked man attacked again with his sword and blocked his strikes with his bow. They both struggled to land another blow as the masked man did a cartwheel, struggling out of Yao Fei's grip and Yao Fei blocked the masked man's strikes before throwing him down.**

**Yao Fei whacked the masked man in the face with his bow, dazing him momentarily before he grabbed Oliver and accompanied him out of the camp back into the cavern safely as Oliver groaned in pain.**

"Oh, thank God." Moira said what everyone was thinking as they relaxed and sighed in relief.

**Oliver lied down as Yao Fei commended him on his strength and tenacity. Yao Fei handed Oliver a pouch of herbs, advising him how to survive before he left the cavern, closing the entrance as a boulder fell down and blocked Oliver's way as he wanted to help but he was too weak to get up on his feet.**

"He's always been too stubborn." Laurel noted, acknowledging that she admired it about him but sometimes it was a feat that would get him killed.

**Later, Oliver was in the cavern, lying on the ground and trying to stay warm as he ripped a page off Robert's notebook and threw it into the fire. Suddenly, to his surprise, Robert grabbed him by his shoulder.**

"Dad!" Thea exclaimed before seeming confused. "But, wait. If he shot himself, then how…"

"Hallucination." Diggle explained. "It happens, when you've been through a lot of pain and you suffer from starvation and thirst."

**Oliver got up on his feet, staggering and looking at his father in shock, not understanding. Robert expressed disappointment over Oliver's apparent inability to survive, despite Robert's insistence. Robert handed Oliver a revolver, saying that there was one more bullet left in the cylinder as Oliver picked it before Robert told him that his own death would mean nothing if Oliver did die.**

"He's not wrong." Sara said as she relived how many people did Oliver lose throughout the thirteen years.

**Oliver pointed out that he was starving and that he was going to die anyway, wanting for his death to be quick, just like Robert's was. Robert assured him that Oliver was strong enough to survive but Oliver was unable to believe it before he put the gun to his temple...**

"No!" Thea exclaimed.

**…only for it to click as Oliver realized that he was only hallucinating as he dropped the gun down in frustration. Robert pointed out that Oliver would be betraying Robert, if this was real and Oliver did really kill himself right now, making Robert's sacrifice worth nothing. Oliver pointed out that he was not as strong as his own father.**

"Oliver." Moira sighed.

"That's not true. He's stronger than he believes that he is." Diggle said. "He just doesn't see it right now."

"You have no idea." Sara nodded.

**However, Robert pointed out that he was not the man Oliver had thought him to be, trying to explain the things he had done, what he was about to do but Oliver had no idea what his father was talking about. Robert reminded him that he begged Oliver to right his wrongs and that it was his responsibility. Oliver had no idea how to do this, if he was unable to get off the island.**

"Come on, you can't give up now, Ollie!" Laurel begged.

**Robert laid his hands on Oliver's shoulders, assuring him that he loved him as Oliver nodded before he woke up, realizing it was all a dream, clearly freaked out by it as he gasped out as he turned to the fire that was dying.**

"What the…" Thea trailed off. "It was a dream?"

"Like I said, he hasn't eaten or drank in days." Diggle reminded.

**Oliver tore another page off the notebook and was about to throw it into the fire before he noticed that writing was appearing on what he had believed to be a blank page, revealing a list of names, much to Oliver's surprise as he looked at it closely. Then, the realization hit him as he opened the book and held it above the flames as more writing appeared on the previously blank pages, revealing list of names as Oliver realized that Robert had given this responsibility to him as Oliver vowed to fulfill it.**

"Ghost ink, of course!" Felicity realized, remembering when Walter had given her another notebook that he found in Moira's bedroom. "How the hell did I not realize it sooner?"

"The list of names is there…" Quentin realized as he recognized most of the names that he saw, they were people the Hood had taken down.

"His mission…" Diggle realized.

"It's all just the beginning." Sara nodded as the footage continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	3. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see how Yao Fei is captured by Fyers, Oliver's failed attempt to save him and how he meets a man, who becomes his best friend and ally on the island for a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**For days, Oliver was in the cavern until he ran out of food and water and was eventually so tired, he fell asleep, leaning onto the cavern wall. Then, the entrance to the cavern opened and the sunlight shined onto Oliver’s face as he slowly came to. Oliver saw Yao Fei enter, with a dead rabbit and a jug of water in his hands, impressed that Oliver was still alive as he put the rabbit and the jug down.** **Oliver glared at Yao Fei, angry because he ran out food and water days ago.**

Moira sighed in relief that finally Yao Fei was going to take care of her son.

“He’s got hell of a luck.” Diggle noted. “Few more days and Oliver would probably die of dehydration and starvation.”

“Throughout the years that he was gone, Ollie had people who looked out for him.” Sara said as everyone was relieved that he wasn’t all on his own.

**Yao Fei went out for a moment as Oliver was about to drink from the jug before he saw Yao Fei drag in dirtied Fyers, with bruises on his face and an arrow sticking out of his knee.**

“Gotcha now, you son of a bitch!” Felicity cheered as Tommy, Roy and Thea smiled in satisfaction.

Moira, Laurel, Diggle and Quentin narrowed their eyes, something wasn’t adding up as they didn’t believe that Fyers would have let himself get caught so easily.

**Oliver glared and punched Fyers and was about to beat him up because of the torture Fyers had put him through but Yao Fei threw him away and showed Oliver a knife, offering for Oliver to kill Fyers for how he had tortured him, which took Oliver aback a bit, as he was unsure if he could kill another person.**

“He’s really gonna…” Thea trailed off, not sure if she wanted to see her brother kill a man.

“No.” Sara shook her head. “That’s not his first kill just yet.”

This did not assure any viewers much as they wondered how did Oliver kill someone the first time.

**Yao Fei then said that Fyers had a plane that could take Oliver off this island back home, much to Oliver’s shock.**

“What?” Laurel gapped, surprised as she, Tommy, Thea, Felicity, Quentin and Moira stared at the screen.

“You’re saying he could have… come home?” Thea trailed off.

“It never was that simple for Ollie.” Sara said bluntly, much to everyone’s disappointment as the hope was replaced by worry what was going to go wrong, although Quentin, Moira, Laurel and Diggle were not really that surprised, considering that Moira herself has received very promising offers from Malcolm, which were anything but and Quentin, Laurel and Diggle suspected that it was too good to be true, considering their experiences as a cop, lawyer and a soldier.

**Oliver and Yao Fei dragged cuffed Fyers through the forest as Fyers mentioned that Oliver was good person, despite being from privileged and wealthy family. Then, Fyers said that Lian Yu was actually a prison for very dangerous criminals until it was shut down and Fyers’ group was supposed to eliminate all inmates, Yao Fei included and that another inmate was actually the man, who tortured Oliver and Oliver then looked unsure what to believe before he continued to follow Yao Fei, dragging Fyers with them.**

“That guy is so full of shit.” Roy said, knowing such liars from his experience in the Glades as Laurel, Diggle, Moira and Quentin nodded.

“You think he’s lying?” Felicity asked, as she, Tommy and Thea were the only ones confused.

“I’ve met manipulative commanding officers before, willing to say anything to make their men obey his orders.” Diggle said.

“And he’s got the same look a lot of shady businessmen I’ve met, have.” Moira nodded.

“Dad and I have prosecuted a lot of people claiming to be innocent and they all have the same look in their eyes Fyers has.” Laurel said and Quentin nodded.

“Meeting liars like him, you get pretty good at seeing through their BS.” Quentin noted as Felicity, Tommy and Thea wondered why would Fyers lie.

“I’m guessing he’s trying to turn Oliver against Yao Fei.” Diggle said as he saw their confused looks.

“Well, I hope Oliver doesn’t believe him either.” Felicity said.

**Fyers continued to talk about how Yao Fei slaughtered dozens of people and a while later, Yao Fei instructed for Fyers to order his men to bring the plane as he neared the radio to Fyers. However, Fyers smiled as he gloated to Yao Fei that there was a reason that the Asian had captured him so easily.**

“It’s a trap!” Quentin said. “I should’ve known it was too easy!”

**Suddenly, from behind a tree, the masked man, who had tortured Oliver, appeared, alongside with more mercs.**

“Oh, crap.” Tommy said, not wanting to see Oliver tortured again as everyone tensed, worried about Oliver.

**Yao Fei ordered for Oliver to run as Yao Fei engaged the masked man. Oliver ran through the forest as the mercenaries were shooting at him before he stopped and turned around, to see the masked man and the mercenaries overpower and surround Yao Fei before they knocked him out and captured him and Oliver panicked, wondering how was he going to survive alone, on an island full of mercenaries, who were ready to kill him.**

“Oh, no.” Laurel said.

“How is he gonna survive on the island without Yao Fei?” Felicity said aloud what everyone was wondering.

“Ollie is stronger than you think. And sometimes… you have no idea how often he’d get dumb luck.” Sara said as everyone wondered what was going to happen next.

**Sometime later, Oliver was deep on the forest, trying to make small fire with the twigs that were around before he heard leaves rustling and branches and twigs crack, that alarmed him. Oliver put out the fire quickly and picked his knife and got up, looking for a place to hide as one of the mercenaries was on patrol and saw the smoke on the ground.**

“That’s not good.” Diggle said as everyone was worried Oliver would get captured again soon enough. “If he alerts Fyers, Oliver’s as good as dead.”

**The mercenary pulled out his radio, alerting Fyers as Oliver was behind a tree, frightened, with a knife in his hand, trembling. Oliver rushed at the mercenary but the mercenary grabbed Oliver and pinned him to a nearby tree. They both struggled before the mercenary knocked Oliver’s knife off his hand and grabbed him by his throat, strangling him. Oliver grabbed the man by his mask before they slipped and rolled over the edge of the steep until they fell on a rock, with Oliver on top of the mercenary until he fell down into the river. Oliver came to not long after that and saw that the mercenary was apparently dead as Oliver was shocked that he just killed a man.**

“Wait a minute.” Tommy stared in disbelief. “The first time he kills a man…”

“…and it’s purely by accident?” Quentin finished, dumbfounded.

“It’s not the last time he’ll surprise you.” Sara shrugged.

Everyone wondered how many times did Oliver get such dumb luck.

**Oliver put on the mercenary’s clothes and covered his corpse under leaves before he got up, grinning in pain from the fall. Oliver then examined the pockets of the clothes he just put on before he found a set of keys as he had in his other hand Robert’s notebook before Oliver found a map of Lian Yu.**

“Well, this should be useful.” Diggle said.

**When Oliver finished studying the map, he put on the mask and picked the merc’s rifle as he walked down the forest. As he heard voices, Oliver covered his face with the mask as he neared the outpost, trying to blend in with the soldiers as they were having a lunch. Oliver then saw another merc near him as he assumed that Oliver was a new recruit. Oliver nodded as the merc acted friendly towards him.**

“He’s so lucky they didn’t see through his disguise.” Quentin noted, considering what they knew the mercenaries were capable of.

“But it’s gonna get worse soon enough, is it?” Thea realized as she turned to Sara.

“Anytime Ollie could get a break, it wasn’t for long. More often it was “ _out of the frying pan right into the fire_ ”.” Sara explained and everyone was worried how could this turn out bad for Oliver.

**Oliver asked the merc, where Yao Fei was, telling that Oliver had been assigned to transport him. The merc seemed to know who Oliver was talking about as he led Oliver towards one of their off-road vehicles and Oliver sat onto the passenger seat. But, much to Oliver’s horror, Fyers appeared, limping with a cane as he got on right behind Oliver and Oliver did his best to keep it together before they drove down the road. Fyers then noticed that he had not seen the soldier he assumed that Oliver was, as Oliver lied that he was a new recruit that just arrived. Fyers was skeptical as he did not recall a new submarine to arrive with new recruits.**

“Busted.” Felicity quipped as everyone was worried that Oliver was done.

**Quickly trying to come up with an excuse, Oliver lied that he had assumed that all new soldiers arrived on a plane. Fyers considered for a moment before he admitted that they _could_ arrive on a plane as well as Oliver relaxed.**

They all sighed in relief before they remembered Sara’s note that it wasn’t going to be like that for long.

**They drove to another camp as Oliver attempted to blend in with the soldiers, acting like if he was on a patrol as he checked the cages before Fyers explained that they were their prisoners. But suddenly, Fyers hit Oliver in the head with his cane, dazing him as Oliver fell down. Fyers took off Oliver’s mask, gloating that he had seen through Oliver’s disguise before the soldiers put him into one of the cages.**

“Damn it!” Diggle cursed.

“Ollie.” Thea said, worried as Moira, Felicity, Quentin, Tommy and Laurel tensed, not wanting to see Oliver get tortured again.

**Fyers tapped the cage with his cane as Oliver woke up, noticing that he was cuffed to the bars. Fyers then taunted Oliver that he should not have placed all his trust into a man he barely knew before the soldier next to Fyers took off his mask, revealing the face of Yao Fei, much to Oliver’s shock.**

“What the hell?!” Tommy demanded as everyone looked shocked.

“Wait, that makes no sense, why would Yao Fei work for Fyers?” Felicity said out loud what everyone was thinking.

“Leverage.” Sara said as everyone turned to her. “He wouldn’t be working for Fyers if he had any other choice.”

Moira then saw the look in Sara’s eyes… it was the same Moira herself had, when Malcolm threatened her as she wondered… ‘ _No… Even if… How would that be even possible?_ ’ She shook her head, deciding to confront Sara about it later.

**A while later, Oliver was in the cage, sulking before he faced Yao Fei, trying to understand what was going on and why was Yao Fei working for Fyers now, despite what Yao Fei has done for Oliver so far. Yao Fei’s face showed no hint of any emotion as Oliver glared at him before trying to plead with him but Yao Fei ignored his pleas, leaving Oliver alone in his cage. Later, Yao Fei opened the cage and let Oliver out as he dragged him down the camp.**

“Is he going to free Ollie?” Thea asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately, no. It’s about to be much worse for him.” Sara said and everyone felt a pit of dread form in their stomachs.

**Yao Fei accompanied Oliver to a ring of mercenaries as they cheered to see the masked man, who had tortured Oliver, beat up one of the prisoners. The prisoner attempted to fight back but he was no match for the masked man’s superior hand-to-hand combat skills as the masked man managed to take him down with no effort as he ruthlessly beat him up.**

“Really? This guy again?!” Felicity snapped as everyone was worried what was he going to do to Oliver now.

**The masked man grabbed the prisoner by his hand, twisting his arm and forcing him to get up before he turned to Fyers, who nodded. The masked man threw the prisoner into the air before he pulled out his sword and in one swift movement, the prisoner was dead before he hit the ground and Oliver squirmed, realizing he was as good as dead if he was going to take him on.**

Roy, Thea, Felicity and Laurel looked away from the screen in horror at the man’s brutality, while Tommy covered his mouth, trying _not_ to vomit. Diggle, Moira and Quentin were worried that the man was going to torture Oliver again as they did not want to see him suffer like this again.

**The mercenaries dragged away the corpse as Fyers was looking for volunteers. Yao Fei pushed Oliver forward as he paled, again facing his torturer.**

“No, no, no, no, no…” Felicity whispered as everyone looked worried.

**Fyers gave a smug grin to Yao Fei, who took off his rifle before the latter faced Oliver in the fighting ring.**

“What?” Roy said, confused.

**Oliver was no match for Yao Fei, who punched him in the face as the mercenaries cheered, while Oliver fell down on the ground. Oliver got up but Yao Fei kicked him in the stomach as Oliver staggered back, holding his stomach. Yao Fei then continued to beat Oliver up until he jumped at Oliver and got behind him, grabbing him in chokehold as Oliver struggled to free himself as he choked out but soon enough, Oliver closed his eyes, seemingly dead as he drew his final breath before he collapsed to the ground.**

“Did he just…” Laurel trailed off as everyone stared.

Suddenly, a memory came back to Diggle as he clapped his hands. “That’s where he learned that move!”

Sara paused the recording as everyone turned to Diggle.

“What move?” Felicity asked.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Tommy inquired, not understanding.

Diggle sighed. “Remember when few months ago, Thea was being tried due to DUI and Vertigo?” Everyone nodded and Thea winced at the reminder. “Oliver asked a Bratva contact in Starling City to set up a meeting with the Count and that Bratva guy agreed to set it up, if Oliver would kill a man for him.”

“Did Ollie…” Thea trailed off and everyone tensed. Quentin in particular wondered if he should arrest Diggle for admitting to help Oliver murder someone.

“Oliver had the man in chokehold, just like Yao Fei had him in the footage.” Diggle said. “I thought Oliver did kill him but when we were supposed to dispose of the body, Oliver tapped the man’s neck, waking him up. Somehow, he managed to make the guy just seem dead. Then I set him up with a new identity and made him leave Starling City, so that Bratva would never find him.”

Quentin nodded in approval. Why he didn’t like that Oliver was in contact with the Russian mob, at least Quentin did not have another reason to come after him, although he did wonder how did Oliver get in touch with Bratva and whether the recordings would show it.

“It’s a special technique Oliver learned from Yao Fei. If you know how, you can cut off blood flow and slow the heartbeat just enough to make the person you choke, just seem dead. Of course, you need to tap a certain artery to wake them up, otherwise they might as well be dead.” Sara said.

“Interesting…” Tommy said, intrigued, wondering if he should ask Oliver to teach him some moves instead.

**Later, in the morning, Fyers, Yao Fei and the mercenaries carried Oliver’s body to a nearby waterfall as Yao Fei volunteered to throw Oliver over the cliff into the water. Fyers and the mercenaries let Yao Fei do as he offered as he threw Oliver over the edge into the water until the mercenaries left.**

“Ollie…” Thea said, worried he’d drown as everyone stared.

“Wait for it…” Sara said.

**Oliver’s seemingly lifeless body suddenly came to life as Oliver gasped for air and swam to the shore, wondering how was he still alive before he checked his pockets and pulled out a map of the island that he was certain that he did not have earlier as he realized that Yao Fei must have put it in his pocket, while he was unconscious.**

Everyone sighed in relief, not wanting to see Oliver drown.

**Oliver then saw marked red X, with the path leading to the place and the word “** **Shēngcún” written above, realizing that Yao Fei was telling him that in order to survive, Oliver had to get to the place marked on the map. Oliver staggered on his feet and limped as he moved towards the place.**

“What was that place?” Tommy asked.

“That’s where Oliver met a man, who became the closest thing he had to a brother. For a time.” Sara said grimly and everyone noticed the pain in her voice, wondering what awful fate awaited the man that Oliver was going to find on that place on the map.

**Oliver kept on moving, until he saw a wreckage of a cargo plane as he entered the fuselage, looking around, until from above descended a man with short hair and short beard, with a black body armor and grey clothes as he neared his sword to Oliver’s throat, talking with an Australian accent as he threatened to kill Oliver, assuming that he was one of the mercenaries on the island, considering the outfit he was wearing.**

Sara tensed, reminding herself that Slade was a good man once.

“Jesus, that guy is a creep.” Felicity said.

“You have no idea.” Sara nodded.

“Wait, you know him?” Quentin asked as they turned to her, seeing the pain in her eyes from seeing Slade.

“It’s…” Sara sighed. “It’s complicated. Let’s just say we did not get off to a good start when I met him and it took a _very_ long time before we found common ground. You’ll see. But for a while, he and Oliver were close as brothers but they did not get off to a good start.”

Everyone turned their attention to the screen again, intrigued by who it was.

**Oliver choked out until he quickly stammered that Yao Fei led him to the fuselage as the man let him go and Oliver saw the tip of the sword inches away from his face. Oliver quickly explained that Yao Fei had given him directions to the wreckage as the man stared at him in consideration until he sheathed his sword and Oliver showed him the map he used to find the wreckage as the man examined it.**

“A little too paranoid, isn’t he?” Felicity asked.

“That’s what happens when your best friend stabs you in the back.” Sara said.

“What?” Roy asked as they turned to her, confused.

“You’ll see.” Sara said and they had to refrain themselves from rolling their eyes, wondering how many times Sara would say it.

**Oliver asked the man, what did Yao Fei want as the man explained that there was an airfield nearby, which they had been planning to use to get off Lian Yu until Yao Fei was compromised and they were separated. The man approached a nearby crate and handed Oliver a sword, much to Oliver’s confusion until the man explained that Yao Fei probably sent Oliver to help him. The man then pulled out his sword as Oliver barely managed to block his strike.**

“Whoa!” Thea gasped and Moira, Laurel and Felicity looked worried that the man would kill Oliver.

**The man then neared the blade to Oliver’s throat as Oliver paled and shivered nervously. Oliver attempted to swing his sword but the man dodged with no effort and hit Oliver in the hip as Oliver limped. The man advised Oliver how to use his sword as Oliver tried to attack again but the man blocked and threw Oliver against a nearby crate, which did not impress the man at all.**

“Oh, come on, give him a break!” Tommy groaned.

“That guy seems like he’s gonna kill Oliver while training him.” Quentin said.

Moira, Felicity and Laurel wondered whether to look away, wondering how brutal the man was going to be to Oliver.

**The man demanded where was Yao Fei as Oliver explained that Yao Fei had ordered for Oliver to run, much to the man’s disgust as he punched Oliver in the face, knocking him out.**

“Oh. That had to hurt.” Felicity said.

“It’s not the last time Slade hits him hard in the face.” Sara noted.

**When Oliver came to, he was restrained to a seat as the man drank from a jug of water. The man turned around to face Oliver, seeming remorseful and saying it was nothing personal as he explained that the airstrip was heavily fortified and he could not take it on on his own before he pulled out his sword.**

“Oh, hell, no!” Tommy snarled, glaring at the screen.

“Please, no, no, no, no, no…” Moira begged, her eyes getting wet as Diggle, Roy, Quentin and Laurel were worried about Oliver, while Felicity and Thea turned away from the screen again.

**Oliver looked horrified that the man was about to kill him as he neared the blade to Oliver’s neck and he could not risk Oliver getting caught and forced to tell Fyers about the man’s location as Oliver attempted to free himself from his restraints. Oliver begged for his life as he got up but the man shoved him back on the seat as Oliver gasped in pain, promising to make Oliver’s death painless. Oliver twisted his left hand until the bones cracked as he freed himself, screaming in pain until he got up. The man stared for a moment before Oliver before Oliver punched the man in his face. The man barely moved as he grabbed Oliver by the collar of his shirt as Oliver yelped.**

Everyone paled, wondering if this was the end for Oliver.

**The man laughed, impressed now by Oliver as he offered his hand, introducing himself as Slade Wilson as Oliver introduced himself as well. Slade noted that Oliver just might become a soldier just yet as Oliver looked away from Slade’s eyes for a moment, wondering what kind of mess did he get himself into this time.**

“Slade Wilson…” Moira repeated the name.

“One of the people that turned Ollie into the man he is today. His best friend and a brother on the island. For a time.” Sara said as they heard the pain in her voice.

“Is he…” Thea trailed off. “Is he dead?”

“No.” Sara shook her head. “But he did suffer a fate that would make death look like mercy. And it was all my fault.”

They wondered what did Sara do, when they saw the pain and guilt in her eyes.

In another part of the Waverider, Slade observed them as he felt guilt and shame about his past actions but accepting that he had no control over them because of Mirakuru and that Oliver and Sara forgave him a long time ago. Still, it did not make reliving the past any easier.

**Later, Oliver, with his broken hand hanging on a scarf, and Slade were in the fuselage, sitting at the fire as Slade warned Oliver that if he’d compromise Slade’s attempt to get off the island, Slade would kill him but Oliver pointed out that they needed each other to survive. Slade admitted that Oliver might have a point before he ordered Oliver to pick a weapon from a nearby crate. Oliver opened the crate and saw some weapons until he saw a _very_ familiar half black, half gold balaclava mask as he picked it up and stared in horror for a moment as Slade noted that it was his mask.**

“What the hell?!” Tommy exclaimed as he shot up from his seat, glaring as Moira, Laurel, Thea and Felicity gasped.

“Wait, this Wilson nutbar is the one, who tortured Oliver?” Quentin demanded, his hand holding his gun on his belt tightly as Diggle and Roy looked completely confused at what was going on.

“No.” Sara said. “Slade did not torture Ollie.” ‘ _This time._ ’ She said to herself silently. “Just keep watching, it’ll all make sense soon.”

They all turned to the screen again as Tommy sat down but none of them was sure what to believe as they noticed that Sara was holding something back.

**Oliver turned around, glaring at Slade, assuming that he was the man, who tortured him in Fyers’s camp. Slade explained that the man torturing him was someone else. Oliver did not believe him, considering Fyers’ previous claims about Yao Fei and the masked man working for him being prisoners on Lian Yu but Slade pointed out that Fyers wasn’t a trustworthy individual as he explained that the mask in Oliver’s hands, belong to him and his partner and that they actually were ASIS, Australian intelligence service before Slade offered Oliver a weapon as Slade explained that swords were his preference.**

“Of course they are.” Sara muttered.

“OK, are you gonna tell us what’s your problem with him?” Laurel asked, worried as she turned to her sister. “You don’t seem to have a high…”

“It… it’s complicated.” Sara said. “You need to see for yourselves to understand.”

**Later in the morning, Slade started to train Oliver but every time Oliver attempted to take Slade on, Slade managed to subdue him within few seconds as they trained hand-to-hand combat and knife fighting and then tried sparring with bamboo sticks, until Oliver was frustrated by Slade beating the crap out of him, while Slade wondered how was Oliver able to survive for the past six months. Slade casually said that even girl scouts had more fight in them than Oliver as Oliver attempted to joke but Slade smacked his hand with one of his bamboo sticks, much to Oliver’s annoyance until Slade said bluntly that Oliver had ten days to become at least half a soldier if they were going to escape the island.**

“Wow.” Felicity said. “What a hard-ass.”

“I know they were fighting for their lives but… was that necessary, how he treated Ollie?” Thea wondered.

“Thea, you’re not a soldier, so it’s not easy to explain it to you.” Diggle said as everyone turned to him. “Sometimes there’s no time for relaxing, jokes or anything that would make things easier for you. You need to accept that every moment passing by, might be your final and you will fight, claw and bite with all your willpower to make it out alive and live to see another day and that’s exactly what Oliver needed to understand quickly, if he wanted to survive and that’s what Slade was trying to teach him.”

“Exactly.” Sara nodded as Thea sighed. She did understand but it did not make seeing Slade put her brother through the pain, any easier.

**Oliver glowered until he attempted to attack Slade with his stick but Slade quickly disarmed him and beat Oliver with both sticks as Oliver groaned, feeling the pain on his battered body as he finally snapped, complaining that he had no chance against soldiers with guns if he had just bamboo sticks.**

“He’s got a point there.” Tommy nodded.

“Tommy, sometimes a stick is more powerful than a grenade launcher.” Sara quipped as Tommy was left to consider her thoughts.

**Slade pulled out a gun, handing it to Oliver and instructing him to jam it into Slade’s face. Oliver did as Slade said but as he aimed at Slade’s face, before Oliver could blink, Slade grabbed him by his arm and hit him in the hip with his elbow before throwing him over his back onto the ground as Oliver groaned, with Slade aiming his gun at him as Oliver raised his hands in surrender, giving up.**

**Slade grabbed Oliver, snarling as he aimed the gun to Oliver’s face. “There is no giving up to these guys! No crying or buying your way out!” Slade snarled before saying that Oliver had two choices: Escape or die. Oliver said he wanted to escape as Slade offered him to show him how to survive as he holstered his gun and picked the bamboo sticks before handing one of them to Oliver as they continued sparring.**

“Wow, that was brutal.” Roy nodded.

“ _There’s no giving up to these guys._ ” Sara quoted. “One of many advices Ollie had to live by to survive. That advice saved his life many times.”

**Later, they were in the fuselage as Slade showed Oliver the satellite images of Lian Yu and Oliver noted that it meant “purgatory” in Mandarin but Slade ignored Oliver’s comment, in no mood for games. Slade explained to Oliver where Fyers’ main camp was as Oliver wondered whether they could reach out to Yao Fei and get off the island. Slade changed the subject as he showed an infrared image of the airstrip, showing the soldiers guarding the perimeter and that Oliver needed to take out a soldier in portable air traffic control tower because there was no way Slade could eliminate him alone without the soldier in the tower without alerting Fyers, noting that it was the only way they could get a supply plane to get them back home.**

“One guy in a control tower, sounds easy enough.” Felicity said.

“If you know Ollie, things rarely are easy with him.” Sara said as everyone groaned, wondering how much bad it could get for Oliver.

**Oliver nodded in understanding as Slade advised him to get some sleep as Oliver sat down, looking at the now worn off picture of Laurel as Slade assured him that Oliver would see her soon before they went to get some sleep.**

“Ollie…” Laurel trailed off, touched that Oliver was holding onto a memory of her, despite the fact that he cheated on her with her sister as everyone warmed up to him.

**As Oliver fell asleep, he dreamt about being back in Queen Manor, in bed with Laurel, naked after they made love and a blanket covering them both as Oliver apologized to her for cheating on her with Sara.**

Laurel tensed again but as she saw the footage, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry at him anymore for cheating on her. All she wanted was for him to make it back home alive, so that she could say she forgave him. Tommy and Thea felt touched too but they, Felicity and Quentin were more uncomfortable that they saw Oliver and Laurel in bed after making love. Felicity in particular was jealous that Oliver did not seem to pay more than friendly attention to her as she tried to lamely flirt with him.

**Laurel then asked if it hurt Oliver when they killed him, when suddenly, a gunshot was heard with a bullet hole in Oliver’s forehead.**

Laurel, Thea, Moira and Felicity gasped in horror as Felicity was more worried than jealous now at the sight and whatever discomfort Tommy, Thea and Quentin felt, was replaced by concern.

**Oliver opened his eyes, startled as he was back in the fuselage, while Slade shook him, waking him up as it was morning.**

They all sighed in relief, as they noticed it was just a nightmare. Still it did not make any easier, the horror they felt from what they just saw.

**Oliver got up as Slade threw towards him a bag. Slade picked his mask and looked at it for a moment before putting it back into the crate as they left the fuselage.**

“Can’t blame him for throwing it away.” Diggle said.

“It’s not the last time we see this mask.” Sara said grimly. They all wondered why did Sara have such spiteful attitude towards Slade but she made it clear earlier she wasn’t going to explain it too soon.

**Oliver and Slade, who was carrying his sniper rifle, were walking down the woods before Slade ordered for Oliver to stop as Slade checked the situation before he was sure it was safe. Oliver was tired and wanted to rest but Slade noted that Oliver could rest on a plane. Oliver then grumbled until they heard a ‘click’, causing for both Oliver and Slade to stop as Oliver looked down at his feet in horror.**

“Oh, my God.” Laurel gasped as they all paled.

“Please, tell me it’s not what I think it is.” Tommy groaned.

“I’m afraid it is.” Quentin said.

“I know a landmine when I hear it.” Diggle said, speaking from his experience

“How… how is he gonna get out of this?” Roy stammered.

**Oliver was about to step back but Slade warned him to stay still as he knelt down and examined Oliver’s feet, as they both realized that Oliver was standing on a landmine. Slade noted that the mine was most likely a Japanese remnant from World War II. Oliver asked Slade if he could disarm it but Slade replied that he could not without putting Oliver in danger before he saw soldiers on a patrol as both Slade and Oliver paled. Slade grabbed Oliver’s bag and ran to hide, leaving Oliver alone as the soldiers neared him.**

“Is he seriously going to leave him there?!” Thea snapped as they all glared at the screen.

“Wait for it…” Sara said.

**Oliver quickly put on the mask the soldiers were wearing as they wondered why was Oliver far from camp.**

“Thank God he kept that mask.” Moira said, relieved as everyone nodded.

**Oliver explained that he was trapped, standing on a mine as the soldiers looked at Oliver’s feet. Then, with a roar, Slade showed up, rushing towards the soldiers with his sword and Oliver crouched, covering his head with his hands as he quickly slit the soldiers’ throats as they fell down, dead.**

They all sighed in relief but were disturbed by Slade’s brutality.

**Oliver lifted his head, amazed as Slade kneeled in front of him, ordering for Oliver to be still before he pushed Oliver off the mine, while quickly putting one of the dead mercenaries on the mine as they both expected for a moment that the mine was going to explode but they were lucky that the explosive did not go off as Oliver thanked Slade gratefully.**

“Wow. Awful close.” Felicity said.

**The scene changed to the camp, where Yao Fei entered Fyers’s command tent and sat across him. Yao Fei saw a gun at the desk as Fyers got up as the Asian was tempted to kill the mercenary leader. Fyers looked at Yao Fei’s crate and pulled out the bow, taunting Yao Fei until he ordered Yao Fei to teach his men how to use a weapon, while Yao Fei noted that archery takes years to master but Fyers was indifferent to Yao Fei’s comments before dismissing him until he faced the masked man, who was working for Fyers as Fyers threatened to hurt _her_ if Yao Fei did not comply. Yao Fei noted that he was fully aware.**

“Who’s “ _she_ ”?” Felicity wondered. “Is she the leverage you were talking about that Fyers had on Yao Fei?”

“Shado. His daughter. Fyers had her kidnapped, when she was looking for him and brought her to the island to leverage Yao Fei to work for him.” Sara explained and everyone’s blood boiled. Moira, in particular was angry, that there was someone using their own child against them as a leverage.

**At night, Oliver was trying to make a fire with two sticks as Slade mocked him, while cleaning the scope of his rifle before noting there were wolves in the forest, much to Oliver’s horror. When he noticed the smile on Slade’s face, Oliver realized that Slade was just messing with him as he gave Slade a sarcastic remark, while Slade noted that only fire would scare the wolves off. Oliver challenged Slade to light a fire before Slade pulled a lighter, flicking on a flame and igniting the pile of sticks Oliver had been trying to light up the whole time, while Slade noted dryly that it was entertaining sight for the Australian as he adjusted the scope onto his rifle.**

Tommy, Diggle, Roy and Quentin chuckled softly in amusement, while Laurel, Felicity and Thea shook their heads. Slade seemed to treat Oliver like a little dumb brother.

“I can see why you said they were close.” Diggle said.

Slade, in another part of the Waverider, smiled, missing the good old times as he observed.

**A little while later, Oliver kept on staring at the worn off photo of Laurel as Slade assured him that she’d be happy to see him again once he got home.**

Again, Laurel felt touched that Oliver was thinking about her.

**Oliver, however told Slade that he doubted it, as he explained that Oliver cheated on Laurel by bringing Sara onto the Gambit before it went down, while Slade cracked that Oliver seemed to be too spineless to be a bad boy.**

**Oliver explained that Laurel was the reason he needed to get home and to make things right.**

Laurel felt both touched, from how Oliver kept on holding onto her and guilty from how she had been treating him before she learned about his scars as her eyes were getting wet.

**Slade noted that Oliver was much bigger idiot than Slade had believed him to be if Oliver thought he could make things right after sleeping with Sara behind Laurel’s back as Oliver pocketed the photo, while Oliver glowered, noting that Slade did not care about apologies. Slade noted that everyone was out for themselves in their lives before Slade reminded Oliver that he had a partner and it was the man, who tortured Oliver as Oliver winced at the reminder, demanding explanation.**

Everyone listened with interest what was Slade’s story.

**Slade explained that the man working for Fyers was Billy Wintergreen, a man, who was Slade’s former partner and a godfather to Slade’s son Joe, when their plane was shot down onto the island as their mission was to rescue Yao Fei and investigate what did Fyers want with him. They were both captured and Fyers offered them both to join his unit, an offer which Slade declined and Billy accepted as Slade ranted that his friend had betrayed him without hesitation, noting that everyone was in their lives for themselves as Slade got up, frustrated.**

“Hell of a way to live.” Tommy muttered.

“For a long time, he was bitter that his best friend had stabbed him in the back. You can’t blame him for having trust issues.” Sara said.

**He left Oliver as he went to do a quick patrol, leaving Oliver to his own thoughts at the fire.**

**Later that night, Slade and Oliver snuck towards the airstrip as Slade ordered Oliver to take out the man in the tower. Oliver took a breath as he hid behind one of the vehicles and put on his mask, while Slade went to take a sniping position with his rifle, shooting down the patrolling soldiers, while Oliver was sneaking towards the tower with a sword that Slade had lent him. Oliver went upstairs towards the control tower, while Slade noticed that his rifle was empty before he pulled out his sword.**

“He’s really good.” Diggle said, impressed by Slade as a fellow soldier.

**Oliver peeked in the window carefully to see a coordinator at the radio with headphones on, while Slade proceeded to cut down the remaining patrolling soldiers quickly. Oliver carefully opened the door, trying to sneak up on the coordinator but he spotted Oliver and dodged before Oliver could strike him down with his sword and hit Oliver in his face, causing for him to drop his sword. The coordinator pulled out his gun, aiming at Oliver, while Oliver attempted to disarm him with the same move he had trained with Slade. The man pushed Oliver away before he could take away his gun, sending him crashing towards one of the monitors as Oliver turned around to face the coordinator, who was about to shoot Oliver.**

“No!” Thea said.

“Damn it, come on, Oliver!” Diggle snapped as everyone looked worried.

**He picked the receiver of the phone, about to alert other soldiers and Fyers, when suddenly a sword blade burst through his chest. Slade pulled out his sword as the coordinator dropped down, dead.**

“OK, is this gonna happen a lot, that this guy is gonna save Oliver’s ass?” Roy wondered.

“Yup.” Sara said, popping the ‘p’ as they were glad that there was someone looking out for him.

**Slade noted dryly how hopeless Oliver was, considering how simple his job was supposed to be as Oliver took off his mask. Slade quickly put the receiver back before something would alert the camp as he told Oliver that he was about to check the perimeter before he handed Oliver a gun and left the control tower. Oliver put the gun down and saw the phone as he considered…**

“Is he gonna…” Moira trailed off.

“This may be his chance to call home.” Tommy realized as everyone wondered whether Oliver was actually going to do it.

**Oliver picked the receiver to his ear and dialed a number, hoping Laurel had not changed it before he heard her voice on the other side. Oliver covered his mouth, emotions running wild, lost for words, not sure what to say, as it was months since he had heard her voice the last time.**

Laurel stiffened, as she remembered the call. But considering that he did not say anything, Laurel had assumed that someone had called her by accident.

“Wait, if he did call you, then why…” Felicity trailed off as she turned to Laurel.

“Why… why didn’t he say anything?” Laurel wondered, tears filling her eyes.

“Because he was ashamed and felt guilty.” Diggle explained as Sara nodded.

**On the other side, Laurel called out, wondering who it was, as she was in the college at the moment. Before Oliver could come up with anything to say, suddenly, Slade ripped the phone off the desk, disconnecting the call as he snarled at Oliver that he was insane and that the soldiers might be monitoring the calls, cursing Oliver’s stupidity.**

“It’s a military camp. I doubt he would’ve been able to reach out without someone noticing it.” Diggle noted.

**Oliver sighed in frustration before the radio nearby went off as it was a plane calling out, notifying that they were about to land in a few hours. Slade picked the microphone, acknowledging the call.**

**“ _Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth._ ” The pilot said, much to Oliver’s confusion, though the sentence sounded familiar to him as Slade explained that they were using a challenge code for verification.**

“Wait a minute.” Tommy said, the words ringing some bells in his and Laurel’s minds. ““ _Of all the creatures…_ ” Why does it sound familiar?”

**Slade requested for the pilot to repeat his sentence before Oliver’s eyes lit up in realization, recognizing the line, telling Slade that it was a line from a book Oliver read in college, from “ _The Odyssey_ ” as Oliver tried to remember from his memory.**

“Of course!” Laurel snapped her fingers.

“The Odyssey, now I remember!” Tommy nodded.

“I practically had to force you two to read it for you to pass the literature class!” Laurel said.

“Well, let’s see if Oliver remembers the line.” Roy noted.

**“ _Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the Earth, nothing is born that is weaker than man._ ” Oliver cited as Slade warned him to be correct, otherwise the plane would turn around.**

“ _Bred_.” Laurel corrected. “Bred, not born.” She hoped that Oliver would remember before it was too late.

**Oliver nodded but then he stopped Slade before he could call out as he remembered that the quote was “ _Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the Earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man_.”, as Oliver realized he had mixed up the word.**

Laurel and Tommy sighed in relief that Oliver managed to remember in time.

“Well, at least the tuition money we had paid you, didn’t go to waste.” Moira drawled as Tommy and Laurel chuckled softly.

**Slade cited the sentence Oliver had told him as a moment later, the pilot acknowledged and said that the plane was about to arrive in few hours, while Slade looked at Oliver, impressed, before, to Oliver’s horror, he revealed that before they’d get home, Slade intended to radio in an airstrike onto Fyers’s camp and Oliver realized that Slade was going to blow up Yao Fei as well, alongside with Fyers.**

“What? No!” Felicity protested as they stared in horror.

“He can’t do this! He came onto the island for Yao Fei!” Thea exclaimed.

**Oliver protested against Slade’s intentions but Slade told him that this was bigger than Yao Fei and Slade had no intention of letting Fyers’s schemes, whatever they were, to continue and he was going to stop him, no matter what. Oliver pointed out that Yao Fei saved his life but Slade retorted that it was Oliver’s debt to pay, not his own. Oliver was about to leave as Slade grabbed him, trying to stop him but Oliver whirled on him, saying that he had been taking everything for granted his whole life, thinking only about himself, turning his back on people that he loved as he stated that he had no intention of being that person anymore or leaving Yao Fei behind to die.**

Those, who had known Oliver before the island looked at him, impressed, touched and proud of him. They remembered him as a reckless, selfish playboy but considering how much more mature and repentant he has been since he returned back home, they knew he had changed but seeing now that it took few months for Oliver’s growth of character, they had never felt more shocked and proud of him.

**Slade considered for a moment before he warned Oliver that he had three hours to get on the plane, otherwise Slade would leave them at the hands of fate. Oliver was about to leave before he asked Slade to call Oliver’s family, if Slade would make it out without him as Slade nodded in agreement, as Oliver seemed to impress him more and more.**

“Would he tell us?” Moira wondered.

“Slade tries to be a man of his word.” Sara said as they heard the hint of bitterness in her tone.

**Oliver rushed out from the airstrip back into the camp, sneaking past the soldiers on patrol and hiding behind numerous military vehicles until he spotted Yao Fei, who entered one of the tents as Oliver snuck in, trying to get Yao Fei out. Oliver explained that he wanted to help Yao Fei escape from the island with Slade’s help but Yao Fei protested that there was a person, for who the Asian had to stay, much to Oliver’s confusion.**

**Suddenly, Fyers and Wintergreen entered as Yao Fei was forced to knock Oliver out.**

“Oh, crap.” Roy said as everyone was once again worried about him.

**Slade was in the control tower, giving the plane the permission to land as he checked his watch, wondering where Oliver was.**

“He didn’t bail on Ollie, did he?” Thea wondered.

“If he did, Ollie never would have made it back home alive.” Sara said as everyone relaxed.

**Back in the camp, Yao Fei forced Oliver into the circle surrounded by mercenaries as Oliver had sudden Déjà vu as Fyers wondered, why wasn’t Oliver dead, while Oliver mocked Yao Fei’s strength, much to the mercs’ amusement.**

**Fyers mocked Oliver for trying to be a hero, when there was no one worth saving on the island as Oliver was wondering whether he was going to fight Yao Fei again. Fyers corrected Oliver that he was about to be executed, as Yao Fei apologized to the young boy, until Oliver turned around to face Billy, once again.**

“Oh, come on, not him again!” Tommy groaned.

“That’s not good.” Diggle said as they were worried about Oliver once again.

“How many times is Oliver gonna deal with this guy?” Roy wondered.

“This is gonna be the last time.” Sara promised as they felt hopeful.

**Oliver attempted to reach the former ASIS agent but Billy slugged Oliver as he staggered before getting up. Oliver attempted to reach Billy, reminding him that he served the Australian government but Billy sent a barrage of punches at Oliver’s face and chest, forcing Oliver on his knees again before Billy pulled out his sword and cut Oliver’s restraints. Oliver tried to get up but Billy kicked him and whacked him in the head with the hilt of his sword as Oliver fell to his knees again.**

“Oliver…” Moira whispered as everyone was worried about him.

“Pissing off and taunting guys like him is never good.” Roy noted.

**Billy grabbed Oliver by his throat as Oliver tried to offer to pay him off by tripling whatever Fyers was paying him.**

“He won’t take it. Guys like Wintergreen crave power more than money.” Quentin said.

**Suddenly, explosions went off across the camp, blowing some soldiers sky high as they took cover with Fyers and Yao Fei. Then, to Oliver’s surprise, Slade showed up, clearly intending to rescue Oliver.**

“Oh, thank God.” Moira sighed in relief as they all relaxed.

**Billy taunted Slade as the latter glared, while pulling out his sword. Slade engaged Billy, who dodged Slade’s attack and they fenced and traded blows, appearing to be evenly matched, while Oliver hid behind a truck, seeing two former brothers-in-arms now on the opposite sides. Billy rushed at Slade and attempted to slice and kick him but Slade blocked and dodged before Billy managed to kick Slade in the chest, knocking him down on the ground, while Oliver watched the brutal fight. Billy was about to deliver a killing blow but Slade got up, hitting Billy in his stomach as the latter kneeled. Slade grabbed Billy by his arm and punched him in his face, making Billy stagger back as Slade continued to pummel him. Slade grabbed Billy by his head as he was dazed as Slade noted that his former best friend had a good kick until Slade drove the sword through Billy’s right eye as he fell down, dead and Oliver gapped in disgust at the brutal scene.**

The ladies gasped at Slade’s brutality, while Tommy and Roy groaned. Quentin and Diggle winced at the sight.

“Hmmm. That’s… quite ironic.” Sara said.

“What?” Quentin turned to her confused. “And don’t say…”

“ _You’ll see_.” Sara said and Quentin groaned, as he wondered whether he should count how many times has Sara said it.

**Suddenly, gunshots rang out, with Slade being shot in the back as he fell down but luckily, the bullet did not penetrate his body armor as Fyers continued to shoot from his gun. Oliver picked a rifle, trying to shoot Fyers, who ran. Oliver helped Slade on his feet as they both grunted in pain and exhaustion before they tried to escape. As they went towards a nearby road, a soldier appeared with a gun but Oliver grabbed him by his hand in which he was holding a gun and used the same move he had been training with Slade as Oliver knocked the soldier down and aimed the gun at his face, while Slade looked impressed.**

“Nice.” Diggle smiled as they all looked stunned at what Oliver just did.

**Oliver’s hands trembled, unable to shoot the unarmed soldier, so Oliver whacked him in the head with the gun, knocking him out before they heard engine roar and a plane fly over their heads as Slade grumbled, noting that they missed their ride home.**

They all sighed in disappointment, already knowing that Oliver was not going to make it out of Lian Yu that day, still it did not make seeing that he missed his chance, any easier.

**Later, back in the fuselage as Oliver was cutting the shrapnel out of Slade’s arm as Slade was bound to the chair, grunting in pain and Oliver retched before Slade noted that Oliver did not puke, much to Slade’s impression before Oliver said that he swallowed his vomit before he coughed out in disgust.**

“Ew!” Thea said, as she and Laurel looked disgusted while Felicity retched.

“Oh, God, that’s even worse.” Felicity groaned.

**Slade told Oliver to untie him as Oliver wondered why did Slade want Oliver to tie him up in the first place, while Slade explained that a man in pain was unreliable and that Slade was worried he might kill him.**

“I’ve seen soldiers losing control of themselves as they were almost near to strangling doctors, when they were treating their injuries.” Diggle noted, seeing that Slade was very smart.

**Oliver suddenly chuckled softly as Slade looked at him in confusion, while Oliver explained that he was trapped on the island and his only friend was named “Wilson”.**

Quentin, Moira, Laurel and Diggle chuckled softly, while Thea, Felicity, Roy and Tommy burst out laughing at the irony, considering the film reference.

**Slade did not seem to be amused at all, when Oliver asked him what was the next step as Slade noted that his fireworks might set Fyers back enough for his employer to call his operation off before he explained to Oliver that Fyers was a mercenary, which meant that someone must have hired him.**

“That’s true. But… who?” Diggle wondered.

“Let me guess, we’ll see.” Quentin turned to Sara before she could open her mouth as she nodded.

“You’re learning.” Sara smiled.

**Oliver asked what was their next step as Slade said they had to make sure neither of them was going to die on Lian Yu, while Oliver noted that without the plane they certainly were going to die. Slade assured Oliver that considering how much progress he has made so far, they just might have a chance to survive, however slim it was as they shook hands, a brother bond forming between them.**

“At least he had a brother.” Tommy said, relieved that someone was looking out for his best friend as everyone was relaxed that things were going to get easier for him.

**Later that day at night, Fyers was talking over a satphone with someone, explaining that Slade complicated the operation and that he was going to handle it and the voice on the other side warned that Fyers would better handle it as Fyers assured the caller that he had assured Yao Fei’s cooperation, much to the caller’s satisfaction as he hung up before Yao Fei approached him. Fyers allowed him five minutes for turning Oliver in as he entered a tent, where was a young Asian woman, wearing a grey tank top and black pants as Yao Fei approached her in worry.**

“That’s her, right?” Moira realized.

“Shado. Yao Fei’s daughter.” Sara nodded. “The leverage Fyers had on him… and a good friend.”

They noticed how sad Sara looked as they wondered what happened to Yao Fei and Shado.

**Shado looked frightened as she got up, while Yao Fei apologized to her and Shado demanded to know what was going on. Yao Fei soothed her and hugged her, assuring her before the screen showed a dragon tattoo on her left shoulder on her back.**

“Wait a minute.” Thea trailed off.

“That tattoo… isn’t that the same Ollie has…” Laurel recognized it too as she looked at it closely as Sara nodded.

“Why does that woman have… wait, don’t say it, I guess we’ll see soon enough.” Quentin realized as he turned to Sara, who nodded.

**Sometimes later, in the morning, Slade was in a sleeping bag, pale and trembling from the infection from the bullet injury and fever before Oliver gave him a sip from a cup of water but Slade spat it out in disgust before he said that the bullet had been dug out from his arm with a dull blade. Oliver carefully pulled the bandage off Slade’s arm and grimaced as they saw that the wound was infected, while Oliver groaned in disgust.**

Moira gasped and Thea groaned in disgust as she and Laurel looked away, while Tommy swallowed and Felicity covered her mouth, both of them trying _not_ to vomit as they were not used to the sight.

**Oliver got up, trying to find something to treat the infection as he picked a knife, while Slade talked sarcastically about Oliver bringing him some magazines too before Oliver mentioned that Yao Fei had some healing herbs back in his cavern that might be able to treat Slade’s wound.**

“Well, they could prove useful.” Diggle noted, considering he himself had to feed them to Oliver, when he had been injected with Vertigo.

**Slade noted that Oliver was not going to survive for an hour  out there before Oliver noted that Slade should hope he’d be back in 45 minutes.**

Sara laughed at their banter as Diggle and Tommy shook their heads in amusement, while Moira, Roy, Quentin and Thea chuckled.

“Brothers indeed.” Moira nodded.

**As Oliver returned to the cave, he saw a man on his knees, beaten up, begging for help as Oliver scoured the cave with a flashlight.**

“Oh, my God.” Thea said as they stared at the man, who was beaten up.

**Oliver demanded to know who the man was as he explained that he was an exchange student, explaining that he was shipwrecked on the island, all alone as some soldiers beat him up.**

“I don’t buy it.” Quentin said.

“Something doesn’t add up.” Diggle nodded. “I think it’s a little convenient that some innocent castaway shows up not long after Oliver.”

“So, what, he should just leave him there?” Thea wondered.

“That guy might be a trap set up by Fyers.”  Roy pointed out. “If Oliver helps him, who knows if this guy tells Fyers about where Oliver and Slade are hiding. I know that me and my friends beat each other up and tricked some people in the Glades to help us, when we stole from them.”

Thea, Moira, Laurel and Quentin glared at him in disapproval but Roy was unfazed.

**Oliver remained skeptical about the man’s explanation, sensing that something wasn’t adding up as the man begged Oliver to let him loose before the soldiers would find him before he realized that Oliver was thinking that the man was some kind of a bait, a trap. After some thought, Oliver was about to cut him loose…**

“Don’t do it, Oliver.” Diggle said, shaking his head.

**…until he pulled away, apologizing to the man, noting that he did not know the man as he walked away, while the man begged for Oliver to free him.**

Most of the viewers, save for Quentin, Diggle and Roy stared in shock.

“It wasn’t an easy choice to make but it was the right thing to do. Oliver could not take that chance.” Diggle pointed out.

**Oliver returned back, mixing the medicine and putting it into a cup as Slade drank it as he thanked Oliver before he noticed how disturbed Oliver was. Slade wondered whether Oliver got himself into some trouble out there, which Oliver denied.**

“Something tells me it’s gonna bite him in the ass later.” Laurel said.

“Not exactly.” Sara said as the footage continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	4. A new friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see how Oliver and Slade discover Fyers' plan and how they meet Shado and how she trains Oliver in archery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**In the fuselage, Oliver was attempting to do a pullup on a bar as he grunted and fell down, while Slade said that Oliver had managed to do four pullups before falling, while Oliver noted that running was his preference.**

"Well, he was quite out of form back then." Laurel noted.

"Maybe we should try a gym or fitness." Tommy suggested, realizing how good Oliver was as the Hood.

**Slade got up on the bar and was more successful in doing pullups as Oliver said they should focus on trying to find another way off the island, while Slade replied that there was no other way, otherwise he would have found it.**

**Oliver protested that Fyers would find them and kill them and that they had to do something and Slade noted that he did have an idea once and Oliver looked hopeful, until Slade remarked sarcastically that they should collect as much bamboo as they could and build themselves a boat, like in "Gilligan's Island" show, which made Oliver glower in annoyance.**

They all let out a quiet laugh, amused.

"I like this guy." Quentin said.

' _You'll change your mind soon._ ' Sara said to herself, looking at Quentin and Slade sadly.

**Then, Oliver turned his head to take notice of the radio as he examined it until Slade noted that it was broken and Oliver remarked that he could try to fix it, considering that he used to help Robert with plane maintenance, while Slade seemed skeptical. Slade pointed out that Oliver should work out in order to have a chance against Fyers's men, while Oliver got to work on trying to fix the radio.**

"Well, if anyone has a chance at fixing it, it's Ollie." Thea noted as Tommy, Moira and Laurel nodded.

"I remember he used to fix smaller things when he was younger." Moira noted.

**For days, Oliver was trying to fix the radio as he was putting wires together, when Slade returned with a boar on a pole over his back that he hunted down. Slade noted that Oliver should take a rest but Oliver was more focused on fixing the radio until, much to his own and Slade's astonishment, Oliver managed to make the radio work as they both looked hopeful.**

"Yeah!" Thea cheered.

"They can call out for help!" Felicity hoped.

"Unfortunately, no." Sara said, much to their disappointment.

**They heard a radio band as Slade picked up the mic and attempted to call out, asking for help. But then they realized that the mic did not work, which meant they could not use the radio to call out for help, leaving them still stranded on Lian Yu, much to Slade's frustration.**

"They can't hear them." Diggle said as everyone sighed.

**Oliver sat down, annoyed as Slade then fiddled with the radio, noting that it might still be useful until they heard a familiar male voice with British accent as Oliver got up and neared the radio, listening closely, realizing that Slade intercepted the soldiers' frequency.**

"That's… clever." Felicity noted.

"Maybe they can find out what Fyers is up to." Tommy said.

**Oliver and Slade heard Fyers talking to someone, as Fyers said that "Scylla" was on its way to him in hours.**

**Neither Oliver or Slade had any idea, who was Fyers talking to but Slade assumed that it was his employer or benefactor as he wondered what Scylla was and Oliver explained that Scylla and Charybdis were monsters from the Odyssey.**

"Something codenamed after a monster…" Tommy trailed off.

"…does not sound good at all." Laurel finished, worried as they felt pits of dread form in their stomachs, worried.

"What exactly are Scylla and Charybdis in the Odyssey?" Roy wondered as he and Thea turned to Laurel and Tommy.

"Basically, it means " _between a rock and a hard place_ "." Laurel explained. "Odysseus had to choose between two monsters, while passing through the strait. Charybdis would've meant passing through a whirlpool and losing his whole crew, while Scylla would've taken six of his crewmen because it was a six-headed sea monster."

"Odysseus chose the lesser evil." Tommy said as everyone looked worried what exactly was this " _Scylla_ " Fyers was talking about.

**Slade sheathed his swords on his back as Oliver picked his knife, about to take a look at this "monster" Fyers was talking about as they left the fuselage. They snuck onto Fyers's camp stealthily as Slade pulled out his binoculars and breathed out in concern before he handed them to Oliver and Oliver took a look to see a large missile launcher. A Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile launcher able to track up a hundred targets, while engaging at least a dozen as Slade noted that it could either shoot down a commercial airline or start a war.**

"Holy crap." Roy said what everyone was thinking. "That's huge."

"What… what would Fyers want with that thing?" Quentin wondered.

"Considering how dangerous it is, it's safe to assume it's nothing good." Moira said, as her memory led her to Malcolm's earthquake device.

**Oliver and Slade wondered what would Fyers want with such a large weapon but they knew for sure that they couldn't allow him to use it, otherwise innocent people would die. Oliver wondered how would they sneak past the soldiers to the missile launcher as Slade looked through his binoculars again and saw the soldiers carry crates of explosives, an idea forming in his mind. Oliver wondered whether they could ambush them by putting them in one place as Slade turned to Oliver, an idea forming in his mind.**

"Why do I have a feeling Ollie's going to put on that mask again?" Thea asked.

"Because he is." Sara said.

**Oliver put on the soldiers' mask as he carried seemingly restrained Slade towards the soldiers guarding the missile launcher. The soldiers neared them, gleefully looking forward to get their payback on Slade until Slade suddenly pulled out his pistols and quickly shot the soldiers down as Oliver crouched and took cover.**

"Nice." Diggle smirked, admiring Slade's marksmanship skills.

"Ollie was really lucky there was someone like him looking out for him." Laurel said.

**Slade gave Oliver a smile as Slade picked a crate of explosives, while they planted them around the launcher, about to blow it up. Suddenly, an idea formed in Oliver's mind as he opened a panel at the back of the launcher, much to Slade's confusion, wondering what was he doing as Oliver pulled out the motherboard.**

"Oh!" Felicity realized what Oliver was doing. "That's clever, at least it's subtler than blowing that thing up."

**Oliver removed a chip that he explained that the launcher needed a circuit board to work and Slade laughed, realizing they could use it as a leverage against Fyers.**

"They could use it." Thea smirked as everyone was glad that Fyers' plan was set back.

**Later at night, they hid near the launcher as Slade handed Oliver a radio and he called out as Fyers was examining the disabled missile launcher, calling back as he threatened that his men would kill Oliver very slowly, once they found him because Oliver and Slade stole the circuit board, while Fyers wondered where they were. Oliver suggested a trade with Fyers, wanting a way off the island in exchange for the circuit board.**

"Something tells me it didn't work out the way he planned it to." Tommy said.

"No." Sara shook her head. At this point, they weren't really surprised that Oliver seemed to have many chances to go home and miss them but still, it did not make seeing it happen any easier.

**Oliver explained the details of the trade, while Fyers attempted to stall. Oliver taunted Fyers until Slade snatched the radio off his hand and glared at Oliver for his stupidity, while Oliver looked confused. Slade took charge of the negotiation, trying to reason with Fyers and ordering him to bring a boat before Slade hung up.**

"Idiot." Quentin, partly in amused and partly in condescending tone as no one was sure whether to laugh or shake their heads at Oliver's impulsiveness.

**Later in the morning, Oliver and Slade were in the forest, about to meet with Fyers, Yao Fei and the mercenaries as they proceeded with the trade. Slade noted that Oliver's principles and integrity seemed to be his strong suit, much to Fyers' satisfaction as his men dragged in Shado, who tried to struggle out from their grip as Yao Fei looked in horror, while they forced her on her knees. Fyers aimed his gun at her head, while Yao Fei protested. One of the soldiers hit Yao Fei in the head, with his rifle, knocking him down as Oliver and Slade glared. Fyers threatened to kill Shado if Oliver and Slade did not hand over the circuit board, while Oliver realized that she was the reason Yao Fei would not go with him and Fyers taunted them that Oliver certainly would not want an innocent woman's death on his conscience.**

Everyone glared at Fyers as the phrase " _if looks could kill_ " came to mind.

**Slade aimed his gun at Fyers, demanding for him to release Shado but Fyers replied by ordering his men to execute her, much to Yao Fei's horror.**

"No!" Felicity cried out, while Moira, Thea and Laurel gapped and Roy, Tommy, Diggle and Quentin tensed.

**Suddenly, Shado grabbed the gun of one of the soldiers and hit another one in his hip and the first one in his chest, forcing them both to kneel before she grabbed one with her arms and another one with her legs, throwing them both down on the ground.**

"Wow. I definitely didn't see that coming." Roy said as everyone expected that Shado was just an innocent defenseless woman.

**Slade shot two soldiers with his pistols and Oliver rushed at another one, pushing him towards a tree as Yao Fei grabbed another one by his neck with his legs, choking him. Oliver struggled with his opponent as Shado hit Fyers in his neck and wrapped her legs around him before knocking him down and Slade looked impressed by her martial arts skills.**

"Badass." Tommy remarked.

**Oliver managed to knock his opponent down as he whacked him in the head with the butt of his pistol, knocking him out.**

"Not bad." Diggle said as everyone noticed that Oliver's fighting skills seemed to be improving as they were curious about the progress he had made over the five years before he became the Hood.

**Shado sent a barrage of punches to Fyers's face until the mercenary leader was too dazed to do anything before she got up and approached her saviors. But, to their horror, more of Fyers's men arrived, opening fire as Shado helped Yao Fei get up on his feet.**

"Shit." Roy swore.

"Come on, get out of there!" Felicity exclaimed.

**Slade fired at them with his rifle as the group started to run down the woods. Yao Fei was shot in his leg as he stumbled before Oliver helped him on his feet as they took cover, while Slade continued firing at the soldiers. Yao Fei ordered them to get his daughter to safety and leave him behind because he would only slow them down. Shado did not want to abandon her father but Oliver dragged her away as they and Slade continued to run, leaving Yao Fei behind.**

"Damn it!" Diggle swore.

"They can't leave him behind!" Tommy protested.

"If they stay there, they're as good as dead, at least he bought them some time." Quentin pointed out as everyone was worried about Yao Fei.

**As the night came, they came to a stump, where Oliver and Slade stashed the circuit board, only to find out that Fyers' men had managed to find it as they were meeting with Fyers.**

"Son of a bitch!" Felicity said as everyone looked worried about what was Fyers planning.

**Slade grabbed Oliver by the collar of his shirt, cursing Oliver's naivete as Oliver realized that Fyers was never going to uphold his end of the bargain and let them leave the island.**

"Obvious but I can't blame him for hoping for that." Quentin said and Diggle, Roy, Laurel and Moira nodded.

**Shado confirmed Oliver's realization as to his and Slade's surprise, she spoke up in English as Oliver grumbled that they had no idea what Fyers's plan was with the missile launcher but Shado said that she had an idea, much to the men's surprise.**

"What was Fyers… never mind." Quentin shook his head, realizing that they would see soon enough as everyone chuckled, while Sara smiled.

**Later, in the middle of the day, Slade and Shado were sparring in the fuselage. They appeared to be evenly matched as the fight ended with Slade and Shado in a stalemate as Shado knocked Slade on the ground, while he had a knife to her hip, both of them impressed by each other's fighting skills and Oliver was playing with Shado's bow absently before Oliver looked at them, glowering and seeming jealous, while Slade and Shado got up, taking a break.**

"OK, is it just me or does it look like Oliver's jealous that Slade and Shado are growing close to each other or that he's nowhere as good as them?" Felicity wondered, not helping herself but enjoying the look on Oliver's face as she smiled a bit.

"I'd say both and it's not just you." Tommy said as he and Roy could not help themselves but snicker, while Quentin, Moira and Diggle chuckled, amused and Laurel, Thea and Felicity giggled quietly.

**Slade commended that Shado really was Yao Fei's child as Oliver tried to pull the bowstring. Shado cautioned that Oliver shouldn't pull the bowstring too much, otherwise he'd break the bow and get shrapnel in his eyes and Oliver quickly put the bow down, while both Slade and Shado took a drink, while Oliver pointed out that they should focus on stopping Fyers and saving Yao Fei, while Shado noted that Oliver seemed to whine a lot, a fact that Slade acknowledged as Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance.**

"Like a little brother." Tommy said as everyone seemed amused.

**Shado asked about Oliver's fighting skills, while Slade said that they weren't very good but Oliver reminded that he was listening. Shado offered to train Oliver as Slade laughed, amused.**

**Shado filled a bowl with water as she ordered Oliver to slap the water with the palm of his hand, much to Oliver's confusion and later, annoyance before Shado said told him a quote from Laozi. "** **_A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step._ ** **" Oliver continued to slap the water on her insistence until the bowl was empty before he refilled the bowl and continued to slap it.**

"OK, what's the point of this if all he does is slapping the water out of it?" Felicity asked before she quickly turned to Sara, who was about to open her mouth. "And, please, don't say it, I want a short, logical explanation."

"It's to build up Ollie's arm strength. It seems like an annoying form of training but it's very helpful. You… just keep watching." Sara quickly corrected herself and they sighed, getting a little tired of Sara saying that they would see soon enough but could understand that.

**Later, Shado was doing a handstand, with her legs folded in a lotus position in front of Oliver, much to his impression as Oliver said that his mother was doing yoga.**

"Trying that, I'd probably break my bones." Moira said, impressed by Shado as well.

"Oh, I'd like to be that flexible too." Laurel noted and Sara winced, painful memory from Laurel becoming the Black Canary coming back. While Sara was glad that Laurel decided to honor her memory, considering what it ultimately led to… she quickly masked her feelings and got ahold of herself before anyone would notice how sad she looked.

**Oliver mentioned how did he and Slade rescue her before Shado remarked about who rescued who, while Oliver corrected himself that they rescued each other.**

"Oh, Ollie." Laurel smiled, amused.

"It's always amusing when he blurts out something that makes him feel embarrassed." Thea giggled as everyone chuckled.

**Oliver asked Shado what was Fyers up to as she got up on her feet and took a drink from the jug of water in the corner of the fuselage as she explained that because Yao Fei was exiled on Lian Yu by Chinese military because they used him as a scapegoat for a massacre that Fyers had claimed that Yao Fei was responsible for, when in fact the Chinese responsible for it and Fyers intended to use him as a scapegoat too for whatever plan Fyers had. Then she explained that she had been searching for her father for years until months ago, someone entered her apartment, claiming to have information about his whereabouts until they knocked her out and brought her to the island.**

"Bastards." Quentin sneered as everyone's blood boiled but he and Moira in particular were angry that someone was using someone's child as a leverage.

"Who was behind all this?" Roy wondered.

"Year three." Sara explained. "It's gonna take a while before we get to it."

**Then she admitted that she was worried what Yao Fei must have gone through on Lian Yu and how it must have changed him before Oliver assured her that her father was still a good man, considering that he saved Oliver's life.**

**Shado smiled as she ordered for Oliver to resume his training until late night, when Slade entered with dead rabbits in his hand as a dinner, amused by Oliver's seemingly pointless training as he gave a remark about Fyers better being careful with his bowls of water.**

They all smiled at Slade's dry humor.

**Oliver grumbled that this wasn't a real training until Shado started to tell another tale about a boy studying Kung Fu in a shaolin monastery and when the boy returned back to his family, he admitted in shame that all he did was slapping water in a barrel for a year and then the boy hit the table on which the family were eating, in half, when the family did not believe him.**

"Wow…" Tommy gapped.

"Don't tell me Oliver is actually able to do that after what he had gone through." Felicity said, stunned as everyone else wondered where was she going with this.

**She instructed for Oliver to pick the bow and draw the bow. As she corrected him on his posture, Oliver was able to effortlessly pull the bowstring, much to Shado's and Slade's impression.**

"Well, I'll be." Diggle said, impressed as everyone else looked in astonishment.

"Amazing…" Felicity trailed off.

"Huh. I honestly thought she was just messing with Oliver and trying to make him look like an idiot, not that he didn't deserve it a little." Quentin said and he couldn't help himself but laugh softly in amusement a little, ignoring the quick glares Tommy, Moira, Thea and Laurel gave him as they remembered how Slade observed Oliver trying to make fire.

"You're not the only one who was thinking it that when they were watching this the first time." Sara admitted, smiling as in another part, Slade laughed softly too.

**Oliver turned to Shado, asking her what was the next step, when she told him that she was going to teach him how to shoot.**

"Awesome." Roy said, excited to see Oliver shoot as he and Tommy wondered, whether Oliver could teach them.

**Later, in the morning, Oliver took a look at the now worn off picture of Laurel as Slade and Shado were trying to devise a plan how to rescue Yao Fei.**

Laurel again felt touched that he held onto the memory of her.

"You were one of the few things keeping him going." Sara said.

**Slade pointed out that with him and Shado infiltrating, no one could provide cover, while Shado remarked that Oliver could with bow and arrows but both he and Slade pointed out that Oliver was hopeless with a bow. Shado said optimistically that she would be able to teach him how to shoot from a bow until sundown.**

**Oliver and Shado went outside as she was training Oliver archery. She instructed for Oliver to hit a tree but Oliver missed his mark, much to his annoyance. Shado patiently ordered Oliver to keep trying as he notched another arrow, steadying his aim due per her instructions.**

Laurel and Felicity looked closely, seeing the attraction forming between Oliver and Shado, not sure whether they should be glad Oliver found someone jealous, with whom he could have a bond on a possibly romantic level but Felicity's mixed feelings were stronger than Laurel's as she sighed a bit, hurt and disappointed that Oliver has not shown any stronger feelings for her since he let her into his team with Diggle.

**Slade then appeared, making a derisive comment about Oliver's marksmanship skills.**

"Oh, come on, give him a break! Why does Slade have to be such a dick to him?" Felicity snapped, having enough of Slade's snippy comments.

"Can this guy lay off?" Tommy grumbled.

Thea glared at the screen as well. "I get that he's had it rough but…"

"This was nothing. In Year Two it got much worse." Sara said grimly and everyone looked worried what was going to happen later.

**Slade left as Shado and Oliver continued training and fired before Shado noticed that Oliver seemed distracted and picked the bow. They looked at each other for a moment as the attraction seemed to grow…**

"Aww." Thea, Laurel, Tommy and Felicity said, not helping themselves.

**…** **until suddenly, Shado spun around, firing an arrow above, shooting down a tree branch before she quickly fired another arrow, splitting it in half in a blink of an eye.**

"Wow." Laurel said as everyone looked impressed.

**Shado handed the bow to Oliver he felt jealous and inferior due to her superior archery and fighting skills as she explained to him how to shoot. They stared at each other and the attraction and tension seem to grow as they neared each other…**

"Oh, come on." Felicity grumbled as she and Laurel felt jealous and hurt.

**…** **as Oliver and Shado kissed before they pulled away, both of them feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed.**

"Well, at least it was a Fantasy Island for a time." Felicity quipped and suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop as Quentin, Diggle and Sara whirled on her with fierce, deadly glares as she could feel herself shrink, while Roy, Laurel, Tommy, Moira and Thea shifted away uncomfortably as they noticed the looks Quentin, Diggle and Sara were shooting towards the blonde with glasses.

"This isn't funny, Felicity." Sara snapped.

"I get why you might think that but that's quite tactless." Diggle sneered.

"What… what did I say?" Felicity asked, not understanding, like an innocent little kid, who just did something stupid without even realizing it.

"You're not a cop or a soldier, so maybe we should explain it to you." Diggle said. "Just because Oliver met a beautiful woman on the island, it doesn't mean it was a Fantasy Island. You've just seen how rough it has been for Oliver so far, fighting and running like if his life was depending on it. To say it was a Fantasy Island, is insulting and disrespectful  _not_  to just Oliver but to any other soldier who was overseas, going through similar things Oliver has gone through."

"Just because he met a pretty girl there, with whom he likely had been through some good times too for a while, does not make what we've just seen, any less of a Hell than it apparently was, if you consider how bad it must have been for him from the scars you saw he had." Quentin added.

"OK, I get it, I'm sorry. Really. I take back what I said, OK?" Felicity raised her hands in surrender, having the decency to look ashamed, guilty and remorseful as Sara, Quentin and Diggle nodded. This made Moira, Tommy, Thea and Laurel reflect on their own thoughts about how they had been treating Oliver the first few months after he got back, thinking that Lian Yu wasn't really that bad as they felt ashamed and remorseful because of their previous treatment towards him and treating Oliver like the same person he was before the Gambit.  **[1]**

"Can we go on?" Roy asked after a moment of silence as Sara resumed the recording.

**Oliver explained to Shado that there was Laurel for him back home and that he needed to return back home to tell her how much he loved her.**

Laurel again felt touched that Oliver kept thinking about her any chance he could.

**They returned back to the wreckage, resting before they heard footsteps, looking around in alert before Yao Fei entered as Shado rushed to him and embraced him, with her and Oliver glad he was alive.**

"Wait. Something doesn't add up." Quentin said.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Tommy said uneasily as they all saw that something seemed… off about the whole situation.

"I think we all do." Roy agreed.

**Shado backed away when her father did not return any form of affection as Oliver and Slade eyed at him carefully as Slade wondered how did Yao Fei escape. Yao Fei replied that he did not as suddenly, the soldiers entered, surrounding them all as the trio realized that Yao Fei had led them to them.**

"Oh, no." Diggle whispered.

"What the hell?!" Tommy yelled.

"That bastard!" Quentin snarled, realizing Yao Fei had betrayed them as everyone looked shocked.

**Slade glared at Yao Fei, about to lunge at him before one of the soldiers whacked him in the face with his rifle, knocking Slade out, while Yao Fei said grimly that the trio's time on the island was at the end.**

"What?!" Thea exclaimed, outraged.

"He sold them out?! After everything they were trying to do to save him?!" Felicity demanded as she, Thea and Tommy glared at the screen, while Roy, Laurel, Diggle, Moira and Quentin were wondering why did Yao Fei betray them.

"I'm guessing he did not have a choice, did he?" Moira realized as she turned to Sara, who nodded.

"The first year is nearing the end. It's all going to be explained soon enough." Sara said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I thought that it would be fitting for either Felicity, Tommy or Thea to make the remark about the Fantasy Island. I'll be honest, in 2x09 "Three Ghosts", the first time I watched it, I didn't care that much about Felicity's comment about Fantasy Island, until some people have pointed it out in their stories, mainly rewrites of Season 2 or watch-it fics of Arrow. But, just because Oliver had some romantic relationships on Lian Yu, considering how hard it was for him throughout the five years he was gone, does not make the Hell he had been through, any easier and the remark about Lian Yu being Fantasy Island is tactless and inconsiderate and Felicity needed to be called out on it.
> 
> The next chapter is going to be the end of Year One before the viewers get a small break.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	5. Fyers' downfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers watch the end of Oliver's first year of when he was gone, seeing him, Slade and Shado stop Fyers's plan before they take a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**The soldiers led Oliver, Shado and Slade in restraints, in a truck, back into Fyers's camp as the missile launcher was fully operational, while they dragged the trio into Fyers' command tent, where was Yao Fei waiting. Oliver turned to the coordinator, the man at the laptop and recognized him as "the shipwrecked student" from Yao Fei's cavern as Oliver glared.**

"Ha! Told ya!" Roy said as the viewers realized that Quentin, Roy and Diggle were right.

**Oliver was about to lunge at him but the soldiers restrained him, while Slade advised Oliver to _not_  waste his energy on petty vendettas. Slade glared at Yao Fei for betraying them, while Yao Fei explained that Fyers was willing to burn the entire forest down to hunt them all down and that what Yao Fei did was for their own good, not that it pleased the trio as Slade was more than willing to "repay" Yao Fei his mercy.**

"Oh, man, I wouldn't want to see him pissed off." Felicity said, considering they knew how brutal Slade was and Sara paled, remembering what Slade had done after being injected by Mirakuru, while in another part, Slade winced.

**Fyers entered, gloating at capturing Oliver, Slade and Shado as they were together with Yao Fei, while Oliver demanded from Fyers to know what was he planning before the radio turned on with the pilot of Ferris Air flight 637 trying to call out. The coordinator instructed the directions for the pilot due to "incoming turbulence" as he told Fyers that the plane was about to fly above Lian Yu. Oliver mocked Fyers that a commercial airliner was not going to land on Lian Yu, while Fyers replied coldly that he was going to destroy it and Oliver looked horrified as he turned to the missile launcher and realized that Fyers was going to use it to blow the plane up, killing dozens, maybe hundreds of innocents.**

"That bastard." Diggle said and Moira shivered, remembering Malcolm's Undertaking.

**Oliver demanded to know why did Fyers want to blow up a plane, while Fyers explained that by grounding China's air travel, he would be able to cripple China's economy. Slade realized that Fyers wanted to destabilize China's economy, while Fyers corrected that his employer wanted to, while using Yao Fei as a scapegoat and take the blame for the act.**

"What kind of a maniac would do something like that?!" Thea wondered, noting how insane it was.

"Someone with no honor or moral code." Sara said grimly, her mind returning to Amanda Waller as she clenched her fists.

**Yao Fei declined but Fyers responded by punching Oliver in the face as he fell to his knees and then Fyers pulled out his gun, shooting Slade in his leg and Shado in her shoulder as they fell down, much to Yao Fei's horror as Fyers threatened to kill those Yao Fei cared about.**

Everyone gave Fyers fierce glares as they growled in anger.

"That guy is a monster." Tommy said what everyone was thinking.

"One of the worst kinds." Moira nodded.

**Yao Fei raised his hand and gave into the mercenary's terms, while Fyers ordered for the Asian to put on his former uniform. Slade tried to struggle out of the soldiers' grip as Fyers turned his attention to him, while Yao Fei discreetly handed Oliver a knife, who quickly hid it in his hands before the soldiers would notice as he realized Yao Fei's intentions.**

"Oh." Diggle noted as everyone felt hopeful.

"I hope Ollie can free himself in time." Laurel said.

"I think we all do, honey." Quentin nodded as everyone was praying for Oliver quietly.

**Yao Fei helped Shado get up as Fyers dialed a number on his satphone, that his plan was beginning. The scene changed elsewhere into an office as a bald man with spectacles in a suit told a young woman with dark complexion sitting at the desk that everything was proceeding to the plan.**

Sara growled and glared at the screen hatefully. "Great. I almost forgot about that bitch."

"Who is that?" Moira wondered as everyone turned to Sara, noticing that she didn't like that woman as they saw the look in Sara's eyes.

"I never met her in person but I know more than enough about her. That's Amanda Waller. Back then, she was the director of A.R.G.U.S. And Lyla's boss. And she was a source of most of the shit that Ollie had to go through in the five years he was gone. She's lucky she never met me and that I never got my hands on her." Sara sneered, glaring at the screen.

"I'm guessing neither you or Oliver liked that woman?" Roy drawled.

"Trust me, only a monster with no sense of honor or moral compass like Malcolm Merlyn would like her." Sara said.

Tommy, Roy, Thea and Laurel looked completely confused, while Diggle and Felicity tensed, Quentin raised his brows and Moira paled and gapped, wondering what did Sara know and how dangerous that woman was.

Tommy turned around and tried to speak up. "My Dad may be a dick but isn't this a little too…"

"Tommy, when we finish watching this recording, there's a lot we all need to talk about and I think that  _you_  have a lot of explaining to do." Sara said, giving Moira a pointed look as she sighed.

"You're right." Moira nodded as everyone, save for Diggle and Felicity, turned to her in confusion.

"Mom, what did she mean by that?" Thea asked.

Moira sighed. "I think it's time I stopped keeping secrets from you, honey."

"Look, let's finish watching this recording first and then we'll take a break, OK?" Sara suggested as everyone nodded. "After that, I'll fill you all in on as much as I can or as it will be necessary for you to understand what happened in the next memory covering the second year and I think all of you could use some rest and get some food and drink."

"Yeah, I think a good meal might be nice." Tommy agreed and everyone nodded and smiled, not even realizing how hungry or thirsty they were as they were very intrigued by what had happened to Oliver, when he was gone.

"No kidding, I'm hungry like a wolf." Roy said.

Sara resumed the recording as it continued.

**Yao Fei was in his uniform in front of a grey sheet as Fyers set up the camera and started to record, while Oliver, Slade and Shado were on the ground, helplessly staring. Yao Fei declared on the camera that he was taking responsibility for shooting down the plane as a retribution for how China had been treating him, while Oliver was discreetly trying to cut his restraints.**

"Come on, Oliver, hurry…" Tommy said as everyone hoped that he would stop Fyers' plan somehow.

**Yao Fei continued citing Fyers' prepared statement as he said that shooting down the plane was a sign of Yao Fei's revenge on China as Fyers stopped recording. Then, much to Oliver's and Shado's horror, he pulled out his gun and shot Yao Fei in the head as he collapsed back and closed his eyes.**

Felicity and Thea gasped, while everyone else looked stunned by Fyers' brutality.

"Jesus Christ!" Thea exclaimed.

"That bastard…" Quentin growled as he, Roy and Diggle glared, while Moira, Thea, Felicity and Laurel were stunned, barely able to process what just happened.

"Yao Fei had outlived his usefulness, at that point, he was a loose end that Fyers was more than willing to tie up." Sara explained. "And he and Robert were first of many people that Ollie cared about that he had lost throughout the five years." She said sadly as everyone felt sad and a lot of sympathy towards Oliver, wondering how much tragedy Oliver had to endure, when he was gone as Quentin, Laurel, Roy, Thea, Moira, Tommy and Felicity again felt ashamed of thinking that what Oliver had been through, wasn't that bad.

"Please, tell me he gets his " _just desserts_ " soon enough." Tommy said.

"Trust me, this was the last mistake he ever made and he's gonna to pay for it soon enough." Sara promised.

Everyone smirked in satisfaction, looking forward to seeing Fyers' demise.

**The coordinator said that the plane was within range, while Oliver stared helplessly in horror, unable to process what he just witnessed. The plane flew above Lian Yu, while the missile launcher was locking onto it. Shado sobbed before she glared at Fyers, while Oliver and Slade turned to each other as Slade noticed that Oliver was cutting his restraints. Oliver got up and tackled Fyers before throwing the coordinator off the chair, while Slade rushed at another soldier, roaring. Oliver cut Shado's restraints as she kicked one of the soldiers back. The coordinator punched Oliver in his face and grabbed him by his throat, while Fyers was trying to fend Slade off. Fyers threw Slade down before he pulled out his radio and ordered to fire the missile on the plane before he ran.**

"No!" Felicity cried out as everyone tensed.

**Oliver struggled to fight with the coordinator before Shado got behind him, grabbing him in chokehold and snapping his neck before she dropped the man. Oliver went out just when the launcher fired the missile in the air.**

"Oh, shit!" Diggle swore as everyone widened their eyes in horror.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Roy yelled.

"Oliver did stop it, did he?" Felicity asked hopefully.

"It was the beginning of Ollie becoming the hero." Sara reminded as everyone felt hopeful.

**Oliver stared at the missile in the air for a moment before he realized he needed to act quickly to stop it. Oliver tried to get to the launcher but quickly took cover behind some ammo crates as soldiers opened fire, while Shado threw one of them down as he stood on the launcher. Slade rushed out with an AK-47 rifle as he roared, while shooting at the soldiers before he took cover and ordered Oliver to stop the launcher, while providing cover for him.**

"They make one hell of a team." Laurel noted.

"You have no idea." Sara smiled.

Slade was in his room, observing too as he laughed, missing the good old times.

**Oliver jumped on the launcher as Shado opened the panel with the motherboard, realizing that they needed to stop the missile, while Oliver pointed out that he had no idea how to reprogram a missile launcher, while Shado did.**

"OK, so she kicks asses and she's badass with bow and arrow and she knows how to reprogram a missile launcher?" Felicity asked with mix of surprise, impression and jealousy.

"Is there something that woman can't do?" Laurel wondered as everyone was wondering the same thing.

"Who knows." Sara shrugged. "Maybe grow wings or breathe underwater."

**Shado was about to reprogram it before they noticed that the soldier she had knocked down was attempting to sneak up on her with a gun. Shado turned around, grabbing him by his hand and throwing him down as she robbed him of his gun and shot the driver as he slumped towards the control and the missile launcher rolled forward.**

"Oh, no." Moira paled as everyone tensed, worried about how much worse it could get.

**Oliver climbed up as Shado was trying to fend off the soldiers, while Slade kept on shooting down the soldiers with his rifle. Shado and the soldier she was fighting with, fell off the launcher before she ordered Oliver to put the chip in. Oliver engaged another soldier, slamming him against the turret before the soldier knocked him down and Oliver blocked his punches before kicking him back and throwing him off the launcher.**

"He's getting better and better." Diggle said, noting that Oliver's fighting skills were improving.

**Oliver opened the panel and put the chip in and then looked up before he saw the missile suddenly divert before Oliver pulled the dead soldier at the controls away, while the missile launcher stopped. Oliver jumped off the launcher and took cover as he saw the missile fly towards the camp. The explosion was large due to the ammunition in the camp as the soldiers were either sent flying back because of it or the flames consumed them.**

"Wait, she blew up the camp?!" Felicity exclaimed in horror.

"What would you have done?" Sara shrugged as her memory returned to Felicity having to divert a nuke to Havenrock as she sighed, while Felicity relaxed, realizing Sara had a point. Sometimes, a lesser evil was necessary.

**As the night came, Oliver called out across the burned out ruins of the camp, searching for Slade and Shado. Then, he saw a crate and opened it as inside was Yao Fei's recurve bow before he heard a laugh as Slade was hiding behind some ammunition crates as he got up, limping, noting that Oliver would not be able to save the day without making a mess.**

Everyone laughed, amused.

"That certainly sounds like Ollie." Laurel said.

**Slade limped towards Oliver as they both wondered where Shado was before Fyers appeared, holding Shado at gunpoint.**

"Really?" Laurel and Quentin asked in annoyance and scoffed as everyone rolled their eyes at seeing Fyers again.

"Of course he survived." Tommy said sarcastically.

"Yay." Thea said in the same tone.

"Please, tell me he's gonna get his now." Tommy said.

"You're going to enjoy watching this." Sara said as they looked forward to see Fyers pay for what he had done.

**Slade told Fyers he was done as Oliver notched an arrow, ordering the same thing, while Fyers was amazed that a playboy castaway stopped a two-year long going operation, becoming a killer.**

"Oliver may have become a killer but he stopped you because you had to be stopped, you son of a bitch." Quentin sneered as everyone nodded.  **[1]**

**Fyers offered Oliver to go home by Fyers calling in a rescue ship, while he taunted Oliver, whether he'd be willing to sacrifice his freedom for Shado. Shado gave Oliver a look, whole Oliver let go of the bowstring as the arrow flied through Fyers' throat. Fyers gagged as he let Shado go before the mercenary leader fell down, dead.**

"Wow…" Tommy said as everyone stared, impressed, especially those, who had known Oliver, at his selfless act.

"He had a chance to go home…" Laurel said.

"…and he threw it away for someone he barely knew." Moira said as everyone was impressed and proud of Oliver's growth of character.

The screen cut to black as Sara cleared her throat. "That's the end of Year One. So, how about we take a break now and get something to eat before I turn on the next memory?" She offered.

"Finally. I'm starving." Roy said.

"I think it's not just you, Roy." Felicity mused.

Everyone got up from their seats and followed Sara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I think the reasonable people can agree that Oliver's confession in 5x17 was total bullshit, it contradicts with everything Oliver has done and if he really enjoyed killing, he would've killed over hundreds, not dozens of criminals and he's never killed unless it was necessary.
> 
> Before you ask me that, I didn't think of the reference to Teen Wolf at first, when Roy said he was "hungry as a wolf" but I know that Colton Hayes played a werewolf jackass in the series.
> 
> And that's a wrap for Year One, now there is going to be a small break for the viewers, alongside with some long overdue conversations and blanks getting filled before they start watching Year Two.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	6. Interlude I - Break 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers take a small break as Sara reveals some stunning secrets regarding Malcolm, Robert and Moira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note and Disclaimer:
> 
> Not entirely sure about this chapter, since I'm not sure how interludes in this kinds of fics could look like.
> 
> I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Felicity, Tommy, Thea and Roy were completely amazed by the interior of the Waverider, while Diggle, Quentin and Moira were… well, the best suited word would probably be cautious.

"Wow. Anyone else feels like they're in Star Wars?" Tommy said.

"More like mix of Star Wars and… I don't know." Felicity said, not sure what other comparison could there be for the futuristic look.

"Greetings." Gideon said as it appeared in front of them, much to their shock.

"Wow!" Roy gapped as everyone backed off.

"Holy crap!" Thea said in surprise.

"You know why I never do drugs?" Diggle said as he saw a giant hologram of the head in front of them, while Felicity waved through the hologram. "Because of stuff like this."

"Amazing…" Felicity said.

"If you're looking for the dining room, it's right this way." Gideon turned to the door nearby.

"What… are you?" Quentin asked warily.

"Gideon, the ship's AI." Sara explained as she neared them. "I probably should've warned you that a lot of things would shock you."

"Are you gonna tell us how did you get here?" Laurel inquired, wanting to know how did Sara time travel.

"That's… a long story." Sara sighed as they went into a dining room, where was a young woman with long dark hair, a man around Oliver's age with long hair and a bald muscular man that looked very dangerous that Quentin and Laurel recognized.

"Wow. You really brought quite a gang, here, boss." Mick said, eating his sandwich and full-mouthed, while Thea and Felicity looked disgusted.

"You're friends with criminals?" Quentin demanded.

"What the hell is this guy doing here?" Laurel asked.

"Who is that?" Thea asked.

"Mick Rory, a notorious arsonist." Quentin said, reaching for his gun.

" _Former_  arsonist. I'm clean now, cop." Mick chuckled.

"Dad, take it easy, OK?" Sara stepped up. "Remember, this is future."

"Wait. I know you." Moira turned to Ray. "You're Ray Palmer."

Ray nodded, smiling as he got up and shook hand. "Hey, Miss Queen. Nice to meet you. I never got the pleasure but I always hoped I would get the chance after I tried to bid for QC."

"Why so?" Moira asked before Sara cleared her throat and Ray flushed.

"Sorry. Spoilers from the future." Ray did a gesture of zipping his mouth.

"Whatever you want, Gideon will offer." Zari said as she turned to the food fabricator. "Pizza, chicken, take your pick."

"OK, how about barbecue." Tommy mused as a few moments later, the machine sizzled and opened, offering the barbecue on tray, much to Tommy's amazement. "Wow."

"Can I get just something healthy?" Moira wondered as it pulled out a bowl of salad, to everyone's surprise.

" _Any other requests?_ " Gideon asked as the viewers from the present were uncomfortable, not used to this.

"Well…" Roy trailed off as he, Tommy and Thea thought about a huge pizza, much to their pleasure as Quentin and Diggle took just bottles of beer and some chicken wings as they sat down, eating.

"Wow." Thea smiled as they finished their meal. "I never thought future could be so awesome."

"No kidding." Felicity giggled.

"How did you even get to this?" Laurel asked.

"It's… a lot has happened to me." Sara sighed. "I did return home to Starling City for a while. But… I guess too much had happened to me to stay around. I left you all to figure some things out. Something Ollie had to do too as you'll see later."

"Sara, are you gonna tell us what happened to you after the Gambit?" Thea asked as they all wondered the same thing.

Sara sighed and wiped her face. "I don't want to show it to you but I think you deserve to know. Look, it… it wasn't any easier for me than it was for Ollie, after the Gambit. I honestly am not sure whether it was worse either. But… after I got sucked out… I managed to hold onto some debris and I floated on the sea for days. Maybe weeks." She looked down as they noticed she was reliving the pain and Laurel and Quentin especially felt sympathy for her.

"Baby girl…" Quentin trailed off, not sure what to say.

"And then, a freighter came. Amazo. They… saved me." Sara said as everyone felt relieved for a moment until they saw the look in Sara's eyes.

"I'm guessing it was bad, was it?" Felicity realized.

"At first." Sara nodded, her face filled with shame, guilt and pain. "It was full of pirates and men more than willing to…" She swallowed. "I got lucky they never did because of the man, who owned Amazo. Doctor Anthony Ivo."

"He protected you?" Diggle asked, seeing that Sara seemed to be a little fond of him.

"It was more like I was willing to be his henchman, rather than let his men do with me whatever they wanted." Sara said grimly. "He taught me a lot but I…" She looked down, ashamed.

"Sara, what did you do?" Thea asked, afraid to know the answer.

"He was looking for a serum that the Japanese developed in World War II, hoping it could cure his wife but it was anything  _but_  a cure." Sara said. "And I helped him…" She paused, as they realized she was reliving the pain.

"Oh, my God." Quentin and Diggle trailed off, realizing what did she do.

"You tortured and experimented on people?" Diggle realized and the look of shame in Sara's eyes told them what they needed to know.

"Sara…"

"Jesus." Felicity whispered and Tommy gulped.

"Part of me convinced myself that it was for the good of humanity but the truth is, I didn't want him to do the same thing to me." Sara admitted.

"You were afraid and under duress, no one should fault you for that." Moira assured her and everyone nodded.

"That serum, that was on Lian Yu, what was it?" Felicity inquired.

"Something that brought many people a lot of pain and would make death look like mercy." Sara said. "You'd have to see to understand. Back then I was so naïve and stupid to believe that Anthony was trying to do the right thing, because I was afraid of what he'd to do me, until I saw what he did to Ollie, Slade and Shado."

Everyone paled.

"I'm guessing it was quite ugly, when you and Ivo showed up on the island, was it?" Laurel asked and Sara nodded.

"Back then, I did things that I'm not proud of and that was because I was stupid and naïve. I'm not expecting forgiveness. I just want you to understand, once you see it." Sara said and everyone felt sympathy towards her, Quentin, Diggle and Felicity especially understood, considering that Malcolm had threatened Moira regarding the Undertaking and Quentin himself had been blackmailed by Cyrus Vanch and Roy and Diggle have had experiences with such things too.

"So, in the second year, that's when you and Ollie met again?" Thea asked.

"There's a reason I asked him to lie to you about me." Sara said. "I don't expect you to forgive either of us. I just want you to understand."

Everyone looked at the painful expression on Sara's face and nodded.

"It's not too late. We can still fix this." Quentin held her hand as Sara nodded, her eyes getting wet. It took a few moments before she got ahold of herself and wiped her eyes and those, who knew Sara, never expected her to be able to control herself so quickly as her face turned to as normal as few moments ago.

"And I think you need to explain some things too, Moira." Sara said as the Queen matriarch nodded.

"You're right." Moira said before she turned to Diggle and Felicity. "I assume you two already know but I owe you all the truth. That list that Oliver found… I knew about it because I had a copy of it too."

"What exactly was that list?" Tommy asked.

Moira sighed. "Ten years ago, before the Gambit, Robert made… a mistake. He… he killed a man."

"What?" Thea gapped and everyone looked stunned. It was one thing that Robert would kill someone to save his own child but this…

"It was an accident. He didn't mean to." Moira said. "I think most of you know by now he wasn't a completely honest man as he seemed to be." Most of them nodded. "About a month before he opened the Steele factory, a councilman from the Glades named Henry Goodwin tried to bribe him into letting Goodwin open a shipping factory in the Glades but Robert declined. They got into an argument and Robert, he…" She sighed, ashamed. "He threw the man into a vat of concrete." Everyone gasped in horror.

"Dad…" Thea gasped as she, Laurel, Tommy, Quentin and Felicity stared in shock.

"He didn't mean to but it was an accident." Sara explained. "And back then, before the Gambit, Malcolm and Robert and Frank Chen attempted to make the Glades a better place by bribing or blackmailing or otherwise persuading crooked businessmen and criminals that were on the list that you saw, such as Adam Hunt or Martin Sommers. However, Malcolm wasn't satisfied by the snail pace it was going, so he proposed another Undertaking."

Diggle and Felicity widened their eyes in realization. "Destroying the Glades with the earthquake device from Unidac Industries."

"What?!" Everyone, save for Moira, turned to them in shock as Sara nodded.

"Why on Earth would Dad do something like this?!" Tommy demanded, not believing what he was hearing.

"Because he blames everyone from the Glades for what happened to your Mom. Not the guy, who mugged her and shot her. All the people, who passed by her, leaving her to bleed out to death in an alley." Sara said.

"One mugger killed Mom, not hundreds of people!" Tommy exploded.

"I know, Tommy, I know." Sara said. "But you need to understand one thing, the man you remember before your Mom's death, died with her. After her death, he left to Nanda Parbat to join a group called the League of Assassins."

"Wait, the League of Assassins?" Diggle demanded. "I thought they were a myth."

"What's the League of Assassins? And please, don't say it's a league made up of assassins." Felicity deadpanned.

"It's an urban legend." Diggle clarified. "I heard about them from a tribal leader back in Afghanistan, claiming that there was a group of deadly warriors that kill and vanish like ghosts and kill anyone they deem unworthy to live. I thought he was smoking what he was selling."

"They're  _very_  real." Sara said.

"Wait… when we saw Dad being the copycat archer…" Tommy remembered from the footage Sara showed them, when they arrived and everyone felt a new wave of horror flooding them.

"Oh, my God." Moira paled, as they all realized that Malcolm was far more dangerous than they had thought.

"He trained with them for two years, eventually becoming Ra's horseman. His right hand. Ra's al Ghul, the Demon's Head, is one of the deadliest men that have ever walked the face of the Earth and probably the only person Malcolm is afraid of." Sara said.

"That's why he became such a dick after he came back." Tommy realized, remembering how cold and distant he had become and Moira, Diggle and Felicity realized that he was far more dangerous than they had thought.

"Wait, how do you know so much about the League?" Diggle asked.

"I was one of them too for a time." Sara said as everyone paled.

"Baby…" Quentin trailed off and none of them was able to imagine Sara as a killer as she looked more a little ashamed, avoiding their looks for a moment.

"There are things I did that I'm not proud of. And if I could take them back, I would. Just like Ollie." Sara said and none of them was sure what to say, especially Moira, Thea, Quentin and Laurel. She seemed kinder and more understanding and sympathetic but this… they had to wonder what she had been through.

"Think of yourself whatever you want. But to me you're still my baby sister. And nothing's ever going to change that." Laurel said, holding Sara's hand as the younger Lance wiped her tears and smiled and everyone nodded, realizing that they had to assure Sara as much as they could.

"You're still my little baby girl. And no matter how awful things you might have done, I'm sure you would not have done that." Quentin assured her as he held her other hand as everyone nodded, trying to support them as much as they could.

"Sometimes I wish I had your heart, Laurel. Your and Dad's." Sara said. "You two and Ollie always saw the good in me. Even when I didn't."

They noticed the past tense that Sara said, making them wonder… eventually they decided it wasn't the time to pry.

"And what happened next with Dad?" Tommy changed the subject as they were sure Sara got a hold of herself as she took a breath.

"Eventually, Ra's released him under the condition that Malcolm would abide by their code of honor. However, the Undertaking clearly violates it." Sara said. "It was Malcolm's plan to level the Glades, using Queen Consolidated's Applied Sciences division and Unidac Industries, using an earthquake device they built. From your time, recently they finished it and Malcolm decided to tie the loose ends."

"Oh, my God…" Tommy groaned, hoping this was a nightmare and no one, save for Moira, Diggle and Felicity, was able to believe what kind of a monster Malcolm really was.

"Did… did Oliver stop him?" Felicity hoped. "Please."

"Barely." Sara said as everyone felt relieved. "When you come back, you must make sure Ollie kills Malcolm."

"What?" Thea exclaimed as she, Felicity, Tommy, Roy and Quentin looked stunned.

"Wait, kill my Dad?" Tommy demanded. He did hate him but he wasn't sure he wanted his father dead.

"Trust me, Malcolm alive caused everyone years of pain and tragedy. And the only two reasons Ollie let him live was you two." Sara turned to Tommy and Thea, and the latter seemed completely confused and Moira paled, realizing Sara knew much more than she was letting on.

Tommy paled, realizing Sara was referring to Tommy accusing Oliver of being a murderer, while Felicity turned to Thea.

"Me?" Thea asked, confused.

"Thea? Why?" Felicity said, just as confused as the rest, save for Moira.

"Do you want to tell them or should I?" Sara turned to Moira, who sighed.

"You're right." Moira nodded.

"What… what is she talking about?" Laurel asked as Moira took a breath, holding Thea's hand.

"Honey, you know that Robert… was not the most faithful husband. And… one time… when he was with one of his…" Moira tried to find the right word. "…close acquaintances, you might say, I felt vulnerable and Malcolm came to me, still grieving Rebecca."

"Oh, my God." Tommy felt sick as he remembered Thea flirting with him, while drunk.

"No…" Thea shook her head. "Please, don't say it, please…" She covered her ears.

"Malcolm Merlyn is your biological father." Moira said and Thea couldn't take it anymore, the information being too much to process as she rushed out.

"Thea!" Roy tried to go after her but Quentin and Diggle held him.

"No, don't. Right now she needs some space. Trust me, all you can do is give her some time to process." Quentin said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proud of this chapter, since interludes are not my strongest suit, hope I did a good job with it.
> 
> Some people wondered, why don't I show what happened to Sara too. If this is about Amazo, that will turn up but there are no flashbacks regarding her time in the League of Assassins, plus, don't you think it's quite inappropriate for the viewers, especially Laurel and Quentin, to see?
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	7. Amazo arrives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara helps Thea accept the devastating truth and comfrots her as they see how did Oliver and Sara reunite under not so pleasant circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Thea was in a corridor, curled to a ball, processing what she just heard. The man, who used to entertain her, Tommy, Sara, Laurel and Oliver, when they were children, with his magician tricks, who later became much colder and distant and now on the top of it, it was revealed that he was a member of a group of merciless killers and was actually her biological father… and that time she tried to flirt with Tommy… Thea was overwhelmed with mix of sadness, confusion, betrayal and sickness as tears streamed down her face.

"Thea." Sara said softly as she knelt to her and held her shoulders. "This doesn't have to change anything."

"How can it not?" Thea snapped. "Now I find out that my brother was actually the Hood the whole time and I was so stupid to compare my Hell to his. On top of that, I find out that my parents and the man, who I thought of as my funny uncle, actually plotted to kill hundreds of innocent and that my mom cheated on Dad and my biological father is a psychopath with no regard for who he hurts. How can this  _not_  change anything?"

"Thea, please, listen to me." Sara held her shoulders. "This changes nothing about the fact that you're Robert Queen's daughter. You may be Malcolm's daughter by blood but Robert raised you, gave you home and loved you. He may not have been the most faithful husband to your Mom but one thing that was always strong, was his love for his children. Robert found out too and he had a choice between you and someone, with whom he had cheated on your Mom. Remember when you broke your arm as a little girl, when you fell off a horse?" Thea nodded, not sure where Sara was going with this. "Back then, Robert had an affair with an employee of his too and he had a choice between her and you. And he chose you."

"What?" Thea looked stunned.

"Robert chose you over any other mistress with whom he cheated on your mother. It didn't matter to him, if you were not his daughter by blood. Remember that he loved you, no matter what. He didn't have to but he chose to accept you as his own daughter. And you and Tommy are  _nothing_  like Malcolm, OK?" Sara assured her. "Remember that."

Thea nodded but she was too overwhelmed by emotions to say anything as she and Sara hugged each other and Sara did the best she could to comfort her.

* * *

"Oh, Jesus…" Tommy said, still not believing what he just heard.

"For the love of… can anyone in your family keep it in your pants?!" Quentin snapped as Moira explained everything to them.

"Wow, this family is seriously messed up." Felicity muttered as Diggle shot her a glare.

"She's angry at me. And she has every right to." Moira said.

"No, I think it just became too much for her to take in." Laurel said.

"How could you have lied to her her whole life?" Roy glared at Moira.

"I'm not expecting anyone to understand but you all should know that we were all very different people back then and Robert wasn't a faithful husband." Moira attempted to explain. "Back then, Malcolm was there for me but after Rebecca died… he had changed. I didn't realize what he had become until the Gambit."

The realization then hit Diggle and Felicity. "He sabotaged the boat." Diggle said as all the pieces fell together.

"What?" Everyone, save for Moira, turned to him and Felicity.

"Is this true?" Laurel demanded as she turned to Moira.

"I didn't know what he had done until it was too late." Moira admitted, somewhat hesitantly. "Robert… wanted to back away from the Undertaking but Malcolm knew about it and planted a bomb on the Gambit."

They all stared at her in shock until Quentin spoke up, a newfound wave of rage and hate for Moira, instead of Oliver, filling him. "You knew." Quentin glared. "You knew this whole time what he was gonna do and because you didn't tell anything, our children spent years in hell!"

"Dad, no!" Laurel and Diggle restrained him as Quentin was about to lunge at her.

"If I could take back, what I did, I would! I had no choice! He threatened me!" Moira snapped.

"I should kill you…"

"Hey, enough! Both of you!" Roy and Tommy intervened. "Yelling at each other and fighting is not gonna solve anything! What's done is done! Besides, it's not too late to fix it, right?"

"We came here to change things, so how about we all calm down?" Tommy reminded and Quentin and Moira calmed down after a minute but still exchanged glares before they sat down.

"When we get back, I'm gonna make sure that your old man pays for what he did." Quentin growled as he glanced at Tommy.

"I won't stop you." Tommy said, accepting that his father that he remembered, died a long time ago.

* * *

"I know you're angry… but… remember that you're Robert Queen's daughter and you don't have to be Malcolm's." Sara said. "I wanted to do this later, when we watch the third year but here's something I need to show you."

They sat at a table as Sara turned on the screen and Thea had tears in her eyes as she saw Robert.

" _Hello, Thea. If you're seeing this, then it means that that I'm… gone. I want you to know how much I love you, despite what might happen. My daughter. My special girl. I've done some things in my life, Thea, that I'm not proud of… but I'm proud of you. With all that's happened, you are gonna grow up to be a remarkable woman. Your mother and I won't be around forever. One day, we'll be gone and then it'll be just you and your brother. And the truth is… you're stronger than he is. He is going to lean on you more than you're going to lean on him. Oliver, we all know, can get through anything… if he has love and support of his sister._ "

The video stopped as Thea sniffed, wiping her eyes as Sara held her. "It didn't matter to him, that you were not his by blood. He still loved you. And to him, you were as much his daughter as Ollie was his son. Never forget that. And he's going to need you, as much as you need him."

Thea nodded as Sara hugged her and fondled her hair, doing what she could to comfort her.

* * *

Sara and Thea entered, while Thea breathed out.

"Hey… are you OK?" Felicity asked as everyone gave her a look.  _How could Thea be OK?_

"Yeah, I…" Thea sighed. "I just needed to… let it all sink in."

"Thea… I can't even imagine what you feel…"

"It doesn't matter." Thea sighed. "Malcolm may be my father by blood but Robert raised me and loved me and gave me home. And I'm not gonna let anything stain that."

They were surprised by how Thea seemed to get ahold of herself but were glad that she got ahold of herself. More or less.

"So, you're going to show us what happened to you after the Gambit?" Tommy asked as Sara nodded.

"It wasn't any better than what Ollie had been through." Sara said. "And you're not gonna like watching it."

They were worried about what exactly happened to Sara but… there was no going back now.

"Gideon. Turn it on." Sara said.

**Sara, barely alive, was lying on a piece of a floating debris, dehydrated and delirious. She noticed a yellow canary landing on the debris before it flew away as a large steamer ship appeared.**

Sara sighed in shame and in her eyes was mix of hate and shame. The viewers would've been relieved that Sara seemed to have found some help but considering what she had described, they were more concerned what exactly happened.

"Please, tell me it was at least better than what Oliver had been through on Lian Yu." Quentin begged. He and Laurel turned to Sara but the look on her face told her the exact opposite as they were worried about Sara.

"Oh, God…" Laurel whispered what everyone was thinking.

**Sara was escorted by two pirates, who wanted to know what happened to her. Sara quickly stammered out that she was on Gambit before they grabbed her and dragged her down the corridor, ignoring Sara's desperate pleas as they threw her in a cell.**

"Bastards." Laurel said as the viewers glared at the screen hatefully.

"How the hell did you survive this?" Felicity wondered.

"Luck. Or deal with the devil. I'm honestly not sure anymore." Sara admitted.

**Sara was in her cell, sleeping before a pirate woke her up. Sara was too frightened to comply before they dragged her towards more pirates.**

"You sons of bitches." Tommy growled as everyone glared at the screen. Quentin was holding onto his gun tightly, wishing he could shoot those men for what they were doing to Sara.

**A man with grey hair and in casual clothes spoke up, ordering for the men to let Sara go, reminding them that the captain worked for him.**

"Oh, thank God…" Quentin sighed in relief.

"No. It was the exact opposite of God." Sara said. "I was just too naïve and afraid to see it and I didn't realize it until it was too late."

"That's him?" Felicity realized. "Ivo?"

Sara nodded as everyone's blood ran cold.

**The man led Sara into his quarters as he locked the door and Sara looked frightened. The man assured her as she sat across him and the man was going through his now, introducing himself as Dr. Anthony Ivo. He then explained himself that he was going to save the human race and that he might need Sara's help.**

"Saving the human race? What did he mean by…" Thea trailed off before they noticed the look in Sara's eyes. "Never mind, we'll see later." They turned their attention back to the screen.

"The next memory is going to show Year Two now." Sara said.

**Oliver and Slade were sparring with bamboo sticks in the fuselage, seemingly evenly matched. Slade laughed until Shado entered with a bird in a cage, wearing Yao Fei's hood. Both men stared at her for a moment before suddenly, Slade smacked Oliver in the face with his stick as Oliver fell to his knees, noting that women can be a distraction.**

"And you would know about it." Sara muttered as in his room, Slade sighed.

"Well, it wouldn't be Ollie if he wasn't distracted by someone like her." Thea noted as everyone chuckled in amusement.

**Shado noted that Oliver's fighting skills have improved in few months, while Slade was working on beating him up and wondering how to get off Lian Yu.**

Everyone laughed again at the bantering between Oliver and Slade.

**Shado reminded them that she brought food as Slade checked on the bird. Oliver mentioned that Yao Fei brought him a pheasant as Oliver's first food on Lian Yu, while Shado noted that Yao Fei was a terrible cook before Oliver and Shado kissed.**

Laurel and Felicity sighed, jealous and hurt but they couldn't blame him for falling for her.

"So, they were…" Laurel trailed off.

"Yeah." Sara nodded before Tommy, Thea, Laurel and Felicity saw the look in Sara's eyes and the realization hit them.

"Oh." Felicity said sadly as they wondered how did Oliver lose her as they turned to the screen again.

**Slade broke the neck of the bird before they heard beeping. They checked Fyers's proximity detector that they salvaged from his camp.**

"That's clever." Diggle noted.

**They wondered what was nearing them as they saw thermal images of men in the forest, realizing they were not alone on Lian Yu anymore.**

"It's them. Right?" Roy realized. The look in Sara's eyes told them everything they needed to know as they wondered how dangerous the men Sara was with, were.

**Oliver, Slade and Shado went into the forest, scouring the area as Shado went to take a flanking position. She and Oliver talked together in Chinese before she left as Slade made another sarcastic remark about how they were growing close to each other.**

"Well, at least she taught him useful things." Moira noted, remembering how lazy Oliver could be regarding learning some useful things as everyone chuckled. Laurel and Felicity however felt mixed feelings of pride and jealousy.

**Suddenly, a gunshot rang out as Oliver and Slade checked the source of the noise and saw Shado's hood on the ground.**

"Oh, no." Quentin, Diggle and Tommy said as everyone looked worried.

**Oliver and Slade were scouring the island until it was late at night and they saw Shado on her knees, surrounded by pirates. Oliver was about to engage but Slade stopped him before Oliver would do something reckless. Slade ordered Oliver to wait on his signal as Oliver nodded.**

"Good that he looked out for Oliver." Diggle said as everyone nodded. Sara was worried how they would react, when they saw Slade lose it after being injected with Mirakuru.

**The men asked Shado where were the graves.**

"What graves?" Thea wondered. "It's…"

"…gonna show up later." Sara replied and Thea said no more.

**The pirate smacked Shado on her cheek, when she denied anything about the graves and grabbed her by her hair and neared the knife to her face. Oliver glared, overcome by rage as he tackled the pirate and Slade hit another one in his face and shot the next one with his gun. Oliver punched the man before he grabbed a boulder, full of rage and smashed the man's face repeatedly as Shado and Slade yelled at him to stop before Oliver stopped and moved away, sitting down on the ground.**

"Oh, my God, Ollie…" Laurel whispered as everyone, save for Diggle and Quentin, stared at him in horror.

"That's what happens in war. Sometimes, even a well-trained soldier loses control in fight, blinded with rage, when they threaten someone you love. I know men, whose loved ones have been threatened too and what they did may have been far more brutal than what Oliver just did." Diggle explained.

"Well, if he did kill under these circumstances, I wouldn't fault him for that." Quentin admitted.

"Me neither." Tommy and Felicity nodded and Laurel's memory returned to when Jason Brodeur tried to have her killed in prison as she attempted to help Peter Declan and shame filled her for accusing Oliver of being a killer and everyone else considered what Diggle just said with thoughtful looks.

**Oliver just stared, not quite processing what he just did as Slade picked the radio of one of the dead pirates as someone on the other side spoke Cantonese, making them all wonder where did those men come from until the scene changed to the freighter, Amazo, near the coasts of Lian Yu.**

"Something tells me that thing brings hell of a lot of trouble." Roy said what everyone was thinking.

"You have no idea…" Sara said grimly.

**Later in the morning, Oliver looked at his bloodied hands for a moment before walking off as Slade and Shado looked worried, noting that more of the pirates would arrive, not happy that the trio killed off their friends. Slade checked the things the pirates had as he saw the maps they had of the island chain, Lian Yu included, realizing that whatever they were looking for, was on the island before they saw Oliver just staring into the forest.**

**Shado looked at Oliver in concern, while Slade noted that he had met men, torn up by war, turning into someone they don't even recognize anymore and needed someone to talk to.**

"War has a habit of scraping pieces of your soul until you become someone you don't even recognize anymore." Diggle said. "That's why I joined Oliver's crusade. To remind him of who he is and not let his mission change him into something… else."

Moira, Thea, Tommy, Laurel and Quentin turned to him, feeling grateful.

"Thank you." Thea said.

"At least I know that someone is looking out for my son." Moira nodded.

**Shado approached Oliver, holding his hand as later, she helped him wash his hands of blood at the river bank, assuring Oliver that he saved her. Oliver admitted however that he felt like the island had turned him into something terrible. Shado washed Oliver's face as she told him that everyone has light and darkness within them. A hero and a killer. Oliver considered and the next thing either of them knew, they kissed and started to remove their clothes.**

Moira, Laurel and Thea sighed, while Felicity glowered. She and Tommy did consider a note about a Fantasy Island before they remembered how did Quentin, Sara and Diggle flip out on the blonde with the glasses. While she did understand, the jealousy and hurt did not fade away for the blonde.

**Slade then appeared, observing them with narrowed eyes.**

"Oh, boy…" Tommy said, recognizing the look in Slade's eyes.

"He was…" Felicity trailed off as Sara nodded.

"That's one of the reasons of… what went wrong later." Sara said. "Keep watching and you'll understand."

The viewers were now worried what happened between Oliver, Slade and Shado.

 **Slade cleared his throat as he turned around and called out, while Oliver and Shado put on their clothes. Slade ordered them to follow him, somewhat uncomfortably. Slade cautioned Oliver _not_**   **to be too attached, as it would cloud his judgement and get him killed.**

"It's quite ironic, coming from you." Sara muttered so lowly no one heard her as Slade sighed too, in his room.

**Later, Oliver found an entrance to a cavern hidden in the leaves as Slade pulled out his knife and they entered to see skeletons with misshapen skulls and one of them holding a rusted katana as Slade recognized them as soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army and Shado noticed that they had been on the island since World War II.**

"What were Japanese soldiers from World War II doing on the island?" Felicity asked.

"Nothing good." Sara said grimly.

**They examined the bodies until Oliver found around the neck of one of them an arrowhead with markings.**

"My Hozen…" Thea whispered.

"That piece of rock Ollie gave you?" Tommy realized.

"Why would he… what's the history with that thing?" Thea wondered.

"You won't like watching it." Sara warned and Thea shivered.

**Later, they brought one of the skeletons back into the fuselage as Oliver put down the Hozen. Shado checked the skeleton, admitting she was pre-med.**

"She never ceases to amaze me." Felicity said, again with mixed jealousy and impression.

"Me neither." Laurel admitted.

**Oliver and Slade went out, checking a higher ground as Shado assured them she'd be fine.**

"Sometimes he worries too much." Thea noted.

"A feat that often put him in danger." Sara nodded.

 **Oliver and Slade walked down the island to find some high ground as Slade advised him to _not_**   **to get too attached. Oliver protested, while Slade noted that Oliver was an idiot and Oliver pointed out that worrying about people can keep them alive, rather than get them killed.**

"Well, he can't cut us out but he shouldn't get too attached either." Diggle agreed.

"Well… there's no simple answer to that." Quentin nodded as the rest realized that's why Oliver had been distant towards them at first.

**Slade noted that Oliver truly was an idiot and Oliver replied that he would not change.**

"Oh, Ollie…" Laurel smiled as everyone chuckled.

**Suddenly, Slade slipped as Oliver caught him before he'd fall, remarking Slade should be happy Oliver was attached to him.**

"Phew." Roy, Tommy and Felicity sighed.

"Morons." Quentin shook his head.

**They got on top of the hill and they saw Amazo through their goggles until they saw the freighter open fire. Oliver and Slade realized that they must have found the plane as Oliver rushed back into the forest in horror and concern for Shado, avoiding explosions until one of them sent Oliver flying in the air until he fell down and saw Slade engulfed in flames until Oliver lost consciousness.**

"Oh, my God…" Felicity whispered as they looked horrified by what they just witnessed.

"Emotions cloud your judgements and it's not the first time this happened to Ollie." Sara said.

**As Oliver came to, he was in a cage, surrounded by guards as he was captured on Amazo. Later, he was dragged into Ivo's quarters by two pirates before he saw Sara, much to his own confusion but Sara kicked him, noting that prisoners don't speak before she left Oliver, who was confused by what the hell was going on.**

"Sara…" Laurel trailed off, worst case scenarios going through those, who had known both Oliver and Sara. "Please, tell me…"

"I didn't torture him, if that's what you're thinking." Sara said. "But… I did… some things to Ollie that I was too stupid to realize that were wrong until it was too late." She admitted, ashamed as everyone was worried about what had happened between Oliver and Sara and why did Oliver lie about her death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	8. The choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see how did Oliver's reunion with Sara go down and their attempt to help Slade and they become witness to another tragedy that had scarred Oliver for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note and Disclaimer:
> 
> If you were wondering why did I skip the part with Anatoly, I wanted to show how did Oliver meet Sara again.
> 
> I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"Look, I just show you how he met me back there. You're gonna need to understand what he went through." Sara said.

**One of the pirates, a black man with French accent approached Oliver in his cell, interrogating him, presumably the captain. The man demanded to know information about Oliver's friends, their weapons and whether they found the graves as Oliver remained silent. The captain threatened that he would find out either way what Oliver knows and that he would torture him if he'd have to before killing him.**

"You bastard." Laurel sneered as everyone glared.

**Oliver remained silent as he glared at the man. Oliver got up, telling the man to go to Hell but the man said they were already in Hell before he drew a gun and shot Oliver as he screamed and fell down.**

Laurel, Thea and Felicity gasped before they and the rest glared with more intensity.

"I hope he died very painfully." Tommy said.

"Oh, he did." Sara promised as Tommy, Laurel, Thea and Moira smirked, satisfied.

**Oliver was down, bleeding and moaning in pain as he held his wound before he saw a surgical tray with anesthetic and a syringe and tools to pull out the bullet and stitch his wound. The man next to Oliver's cell spoke with a heavy Russian accent as he showed his bullet wound, just as the remaining prisoners, explaining that their captors had done that to everyone they caught as they showed their scars.**

"What is wrong with these people?!" Felicity snapped.

**Oliver didn't believe what he was seeing as the Russian explained that living was not for the weak.**

"Wise words, Anatoly." Sara nodded.

"You two weren't… close, I'm guessing?" Quentin asked.

"Not at first." Sara admitted. "But we then became very good friends with Anatoly, especially Ollie. You'll see later."

At this point, they weren't surprised that Sara would say that, wondering what was Oliver's history with that man.

**Oliver picked the tools and pulled out the bullet and stitched his wound as Oliver was on the floor, resting before the captain entered and interrogated Oliver regarding the graves and skeletons with misshapen bones. Oliver said nothing as he glared but his defiance told Oliver everything he needed to know. Later, the pirates unlocked Oliver's cell and grabbed him as the captain promised that Oliver would only start screaming as Oliver let out weak screams of pain, still weak from the bullet wound.**

"How the hell could you have worked with these people?" Felicity demanded as everyone looked at Sara in disbelief, well, Diggle, Quentin, Laurel and Moira not that much as they were more worried about Sara, rather than judgmental towards her.

"I told you I wasn't proud of what I did." Sara said coldly, not flinching under their judgmental looks. "If I hadn't played along, it would have been just as bad for me as for Ollie, if not worse. I told you before, I'm ashamed of what I did but me and Ollie did what we had to in order to survive. You've seen what Ollie has done to survive, so think twice before you start to judge me." They were… disturbed by how bluntly, yet calmly did Sara talk, making them realize that they should not push her before they turned to the screen again.

"Hey, I'm not any happier than you are by what Sara did back then, maybe I'm far more pissed than any of you but can't you cut her some slack?" Quentin said. "I'm not trying to defend what Sara did but I myself have met women captured by sex traffickers, unwilling to come with me because they were too afraid of what their captors might do to them. It's called Stockholm syndrome. Sometimes, their loyalty towards their captors and fear over disobedience overcomes any desire or hope for safety and freedom from bastards like Ivo."

"He's right." Diggle nodded. "I've met some mistresses and maids and slaves back in Afghanistan that we had to free that were too afraid to disobey their masters too and more willing to listen to them."  **[1]**

Everyone else paused in their thoughts before they had the decency to look ashamed and remorseful of judging Sara hastily.

"I don't blame any of you for judging me like that." Sara said. "And I'm not expecting forgiveness. I just hope you'll understand."

**The scene changed again to Oliver accompanied to Ivo's quarters, where he was shocked to see Sara before she kicked him in the face and he was confused, wondering what was going on.**

"Sara…" Laurel trailed off.

"I was just playing along. If they had known we knew each other, we would've been in a lot of trouble." Sara explained and everyone considered before nodding in understanding. "But I'm not gonna lie, I'm ashamed of what happened later. And that's because I was too naïve to realize how dangerous Ivo was and too willing to do anything he wanted, if it meant to survive."

**Oliver wondered how did Sara survive before Ivo entered, asking for Oliver's name. Sara subtly shook her head as Oliver replied that his name was Tommy.**

"He's not handsome enough to call himself Tommy." Tommy cracked as everyone snickered.

"And are you?" Thea joked and Tommy glared at her, while Felicity and Laurel giggled, while Quentin and Roy snickered and Moira and Diggle shook their heads in amusement.

"I hate you." Tommy grumbled and Thea smirked.

**Ivo asked Oliver how did he arrive on the island as Oliver said a half-truth about being the only survivor of their boat being shipwrecked. Ivo asked, whether Oliver explored the island, which Oliver admitted that he did a little and Ivo explained that during World War II all countries were attempting to develop an ultimate weapon, with the United States working on Project Manhattan, the Nazis on das Uranverein and the Japanese working on Mirakuru.**

Slade winced at hearing the name, while Sara growled.

"What was the Mirakuru?" Roy asked.

"Something I wish we had never found." Sara said grimly, as she gave Roy a pointed look, which confused him as her memory led back to Slade and Roy being injected to the serum and Sara willing to kill them both.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Roy asked, not understanding. "What did I…"

"It's nothing against you, Roy, it's… bad memories, that's all. You don't want to know, trust me." Sara said, much to everyone's concern, especially Roy's and Thea's, wondering what was Roy's connection to this Mirakuru.

**Sara explained that Mirakuru was stem cell genetic therapy, decades ahead of their time, while Ivo explained that Mirakuru was a serum developed by Japanese, causing increased strength and rapid cell generation, while Sara explained that Mirakuru meant "miracle" in English and Ivo continued to explain that they wanted to create an army of super-soldiers with a submarine of a supply of the serum shipwrecked on Lian Yu by the Allied Forces.**

"It was more like a curse, rather than miracle." Sara sighed. "We just didn't realize it until it was too late."

"What was wrong with the serum?" Felicity asked. "I mean, I know that most scientific projects have a catch but…"

"Just like sci-fi films." Tommy supplied.

"It's not… easy to explain with words. You need to see to understand. But honestly, if I had known then, what I know today about the serum, I never would have looked for it. And maybe neither would Anthony." Sara said as everyone looked worried what happened when they found the Mirakuru.

**Oliver glared at Ivo, saying that they killed his friends as Ivo replied that it was up to Oliver to lead them to the submarine.**

"Oh, Sara…" Quentin sighed and Laurel gulped, wondering what the hell did Oliver and Sara get into back then.

"I know." Sara nodded.

"Please, tell me that bastard died very painfully later." Tommy said.

"Not painful enough but it was satisfying enough." Sara said.

"Good." Quentin said, already looking forward to watch Ivo die.

**Oliver was back in a cell as next to him Anatoly told him about a gulag similar to Amazo. To Oliver's surprise, Sara approached him, warning him _not_  to let the crew know that they knew each other, otherwise they would both be dead.**

**Sara handed him a cloth as she explained what happened to her as she also thought that Oliver was dead until she told him how she got onto the freighter, explaining that they saved her.**

"I had convinced myself that they saved me. I was just too big of a coward to stand up, let myself be fooled by Anthony's crap." Sara sighed.

"That bastard brainwashed you, it's not your fault." Quentin assured her as Sara smiled. "I've met captured people, who were too willing to help their captors because of the Stockholm syndrome."

Everyone considered again Quentin's reminder.

**Oliver realized that Sara was scared and that she was playing along, for her own sake and that he needed to reach out to his friends, saying they weren't easy to kill.**

"Of course they weren't." Diggle said as everyone smiled.

Slade smiled too, back in his room.

**Back on the island, Shado was treating Slade as he trembled from his face being burned.**

"Oh, my God…" Moira whispered, when most of them remembered Garfield Lynns.

"Slade's always been too stubborn to die. Just like Ollie." Sara said.

**Shado spread the salve over Slade's burned face, assuring Slade she looks after people she cares about until Slade shivered from the cold before she snuggled towards Slade under the blanket.**

"She has a good heart." Moira said.

"Maybe too good." Sara nodded as she and Slade mourned for her and Slade especially felt ashamed of what he had done.

**Back on the freighter, Sara opened Oliver's cell and let him out.**

"Sara…" Laurel felt hopeful until Quentin remembered what Sara said earlier.

"Please, tell me you weren't just trying to trick Oliver." Quentin groaned, knowing it seemed too easy.

"I…" Sara didn't speak up as they turned to her and they all groaned upon seeing her face full of shame and Quentin buried his face into his hands,

"Great." Felicity grumbled.

**Anatoly begged Oliver to remember the remaining prisoners as Oliver promised to come back for him.**

"Did Ollie keep his word?" Thea asked.

"He wouldn't be alive if he didn't." Sara said as they sighed in relief.

**Sara closed the door and accompanied Oliver to the radio room as she turned it on.**

"I don't like this." Diggle said.

"Me neither." Quentin agreed.

"This seems a little too easy." Roy agreed.

They all narrowed their eyes … and then the realization hit them.

"Please, tell me you weren't…" Quentin begged. He glanced at Sara and the look in her eyes was the only answer he needed as he sighed and everyone groaned.

"Great." Felicity grumbled, not looking forward to see Sara trick Oliver as everyone glowered. "If I ever get caught by a mad scientist and am trapped on a ship full of pirates, I'm gonna beg them to kill me, rather than let them brainwash me."

"Careful what you wish for." Sara said, her memory returning to how they tricked Slade as Felicity cured him.

**Sara turned on the radio and tuned in as Oliver tried to call out as he picked the mic. He called out in Chinese until Shado replied back. Before Oliver could say more, suddenly, Sara ripped the cord off the mic and snatched it off Oliver's hands, much to his shock.**

They all groaned, already expecting this but it didn't make seeing Sara betray Oliver any easier, as much as they understood the circumstances.

"Why couldn't you guys have been marooned on Aruba and avoid crap like this?" Felicity muttered.

"Trust me, me and Ollie asked ourselves that countless times." Sara sighed.

They all noticed the past tense but… now wasn't the time to pry.

**The captain and Ivo entered, satisfied that Oliver just confirmed the survival of their friends, much to Ivo's satisfaction, as much as learning Oliver's real name.**

"Great. Out of the frying pan right into the fire." Laurel grumbled.

**Later, the pirates forced Oliver to lead them to the fuselage as they deemed Slade and Shado too dangerous. Oliver called out for Slade and Shado to run as the captain punched Oliver and the pirates opened fire.**

"Holy shit!" Tommy exclaimed as everyone gasped in horror.

**They shot through the plane as the captain looked in but saw that it was empty as Ivo pulled out a detonator, revealing that they set charges around the plane.**

"You son of a bitch." Quentin snarled as everyone glared at the screen.

"Sara, please, tell me you eventually realized your mistake. I know it wasn't your fault but…" Laurel pleaded.

"Not… not too soon." Sara admitted as everyone sighed.

**Ivo ordered Oliver to accompany them to the graves as it was revealed that Shado and Slade were hiding behind a cover as Shado disarmed the detonator as they decided to help Oliver.**

"They're just too stubborn to die, are they?" Tommy laughed as everyone felt relieved. Sara sighed, the guilt taking her over as she was reliving what happened later.

In his room, Slade looked sad too, and wasn't blaming Sara or Oliver anymore for what happened to Shado. All he wished for was that circumstances had been different for them.

**Oliver led them all to the place where he, Slade and Shado found the skeletons, while Ivo was looking for something desperately. A Hozen.**

"Why did Ivo want the Hozen?" Thea asked.

"Because it contained the coordinates of the submarine with Mirakuru." Sara explained.

**Ivo ordered the pirates to force Oliver to talk as the captain threw Oliver out down on the ground and threatened to shoot Oliver's fingers as he pulled out his gun. Then, Slade with an SMG and Shado, wearing her hood and notching an arrow, entered, ordering for the pirates to let Oliver go.**

"Oh, thank God." Laurel sighed in relief.

**Ivo threatened Shado and Slade to hand over the Hozen, while they threatened to cut Oliver loose. Ivo complied, freeing Oliver until Oliver punched the captain and grabbed Sara by her hand, while Shado and Slade shot down some of Ivo's men and started to run as they shot at them. The pirates followed them until they saw the bomb on the ground that they had planted until the captain ran away and the remaining men were sent flying back by the explosion.**

"Thank God he got you away from them." Laurel sighed in relief.

"Something tells me it's not over yet." Diggle said and Sara nodded and the relief was immediately replaced by concern.

**Oliver, Sara, Slade and Shado stopped, when they were sure they lost Ivo and his men and Shado showed him that she had the Hozen until Shado noticed that on the Hozen were written numbers. Coordinates to the submarine with Mirakuru as Sara explained that that Ivo believed that the serum could save the human race. Oliver turned to Slade as he wondered…**

"You injected Slade with this Mirakuru?" Diggle realized and Sara nodded before they noticed the sad look in her eyes.

"Something tells me it didn't work out the way you planned to." Moira deduced and Sara nodded again before they turned to the screen again, wondering what happened to Slade later.

**The captain, despite being burned, survived, crawling on the ground until Ivo shot him for his incompetence and giving the function of the captain to another companion, much to his shock.**

"That bastard." Roy sneered.

"There's no worse monster than someone, who is willing to kill his own people just on a whim." Diggle growled angrily as they all glared.

"You have no idea." Sara said grimly, her thoughts returning to Ra's al Ghul and Damien Darhk.

**Oliver, Sara, Shado and Slade continued to walk down the forest, with Slade leaning onto Oliver until they stopped to take a short rest.**

"Jesus…" Felicity said as they felt sad for Slade. "Did he… did he make it?"

"Not exactly." Sara said ominously and they were more worried about what happened to Slade.

**Oliver approached Shado as they hoped that the serum would help Slade until Oliver explained to Shado his history with Sara as she realized that Oliver cheated on Laurel with Sara and she gave him a look of disgust, while Oliver glanced at the photo of Laurel in his hand and Shado gapped, a mix of disgust and astonishment over Oliver's past actions.**

"Can't blame her for reacting like that." Felicity said as everyone nodded.

"It was one of the things that haunted Ollie for the rest of his life." Sara said sadly.

"It's not his fault. What happened." Laurel said as she and Quentin had moved past what happened already.

"Maybe. But it took a long time for Ollie to forgive himself. There were many things over the years that he did blame himself for, despite that he couldn't change them no matter how hard he might have tried." Sara said and everyone felt sad for Oliver, realizing the depth of his survivor's guilt.

"Ollie…" Laurel, Tommy and Thea whispered.

**Slade leaned onto Shado as they moved forward, while Sara noted that a lot had happened in the past year.**

"No kidding." Quentin said as no one could help themselves but laugh softly.

**The group continued to walk down the island until they stopped at a cliff and saw a lagoon where was a half-submerged submarine between two giant rocks.**

"That was it?" Roy asked and Sara nodded.

"I wish we had never found it." Sara said grimly and everyone was worried what was going to happen next, while Slade in his room sighed in shame, grief and guilt too.

**The group entered the submarine with flashlights until Slade fell down, leaning onto the wall as they realized that Slade was running out of time. Oliver said that they needed to find the Mirakuru quickly as Slade sat down, resting. Oliver, Slade and Shado went in as they found a box with syringes full of Mirakuru.**

"The miracle…" Felicity whispered.

"Like I said, it was more like a curse. We were just too blind to see it until it was too late." Sara said and everyone was worried what was going to happen.

**Sara pointed out that they needed a sedative for Slade before injecting him with the Mirakuru but they didn't find it in the submarine before Oliver wondered whether they should inject Slade with the serum without the sedative. Sara warned Oliver that Slade might certainly die without a sedative, while Shado argued that he was going to die anyway until they heard banging and realizing that Ivo must have found them.**

"Oh, no." Moira said as everyone looked worried.

"Please, tell me you made it out." Felicity hoped as they turned to Sara. Sara's face was nothing but blank, emotionless mask but in her eyes they saw her reliving the pain.

"Oh, God…" Thea muttered, worried what was going to happen next.

**Oliver warned Slade that the serum could kill him, while Slade pointed out that he was going to die anyway. Slade held Shado's hand as Oliver backed off to give them a moment until Slade apologized to Shado that he did not admit his real feelings towards the Asian woman before Slade urged Oliver to inject him with the serum.**

"Slade loved her…" Moira said.

Sara nodded as they looked sad.

**Oliver pulled the cork off the syringe and injected the serum into Slade's leg as he suddenly shook and spasmed violently, screaming in agony as bloody tears streamed down his eyes.**

"Blood?!" Felicity exclaimed as everyone stared in horror.

"It wasn't the most terrifying thing that happened after injection." Sara warned as everyone's concern grew.

**Slade screamed in agony until he gasped and was still and his screams stopped as Slade went limp and Sara checked Slade's pulse and shook her head and Oliver begged for Slade to wake up as everyone then felt sadness fill them as Oliver hugged Shado.**

"Did he die… or not?" Tommy wondered.

"Death would've been mercy. Sometimes I wish he had died." Sara admitted and everyone looked worried again.

**The pirates entered with Ivo and he aimed his gun at Sara and threw her towards Oliver, while Sara sobbed.**

"You piece of shit." Tommy growled and everyone glared.

**Ivo checked Slade's pulse, disappointed by his death until he found the syringe with the serum and the box, much to his satisfaction. Ivo's men dragged them outside as Sara begged Ivo to let them go. Ivo told her that he was going to kill her but Oliver might as he forced Shado and Sara on their knees, making Oliver choose who was going to live and die.**

"What?!" Tommy, Roy, Felicity, Thea and Laurel exclaimed.

"You sick bastard." Quentin sneered.

"One of the worst kinds." Diggle nodded.

"He… what kind of a…" Moira was lost for words, even Malcolm wasn't that sick. They were all worried about Sara until they realized she was with them.

"That's how she died…" Laurel realized.

"Ivo knew who he was gonna kill. He just calculated it in a way to make Ollie blame himself for it forever." Sara said. "One of many deaths that he blamed himself for years."

"That piece of shit." Roy snarled and everyone nodded.

Slade wiped his face. He didn't blame Oliver anymore for what happened… it didn't change what happened.

**Ivo continued to count down seconds as Oliver cursed Ivo for being a psychopath. As he neared the gun to Sara, close to zero…**

"No!" Quentin and Laurel automatically cried out.

**…Oliver shielded Sara protectively and Ivo aimed his gun at Shado, shooting her in the head, much to Oliver's horror as she fell down to the ground, dead as Oliver looked beaten as he just lost another person he had cared about as Oliver fell down too.**

Slade winced and looked away, unable to watch as he replayed in his mind what horrific acts he had committed in Shado's name after her death, realizing she never would have wanted what Slade had done.

"Oh, my God…" Thea and Felicity said what they were all thinking as the viewers stared in horror.

"I did believe for a long time too that Ollie chose me over her. I blamed myself for a long time too for what happened to her." Sara said. "The truth was… Ivo wanted to make Ollie suffer by making him blame himself for the rest of his life. And he did… for a long time."

"You sick fucker." Roy growled and Moira and Quentin automatically glared at the young boy for swearing, not that anyone else cared, too shocked by what they just witnessed.

**In the submarine, Slade came to, gasping as his burned face was healed. Slade wondered where Shado was until he rushed out with inhuman speed until he grabbed the first pirate he saw, throwing him against a tree as he threw away Ivo's men with ease like ragdolls as Slade tore a rifle in half. One of them engaged Slade but Slade punched right through the pirate's chest and pulled his bloodied fist out as the pirate fell down, dead, while Oliver and Sara stared at him in horror.**

"Oh, my God…" Moira whispered, all of them shocked by Slade's brutality.

"No kidding." Sara nodded.

**Slade saw Shado's dead body, kneeling down, sad as he demanded to know what happened as he held her in his arms. Oliver was too shocked to tell the truth as Sara quickly said that Ivo shot Shado without a reason on a whim and Slade vowed to make the man responsible for Shado's death, suffer.**

Slade looked down in shame, reliving his worst days.

"Well, can't blame you for lying to him." Felicity said as everyone nodded. No one would most likely tell Slade the truth after what they had seen.

"But I'm guessing he found out another way, did he?" Quentin realized.

Sara nodded. "I was too afraid of what he might do if he knew the truth. Ollie wanted to but I was too worried that Slade would have killed us as he would have blamed us for what happened to Shado. Sometimes I wonder if things could have been different if we had been honest with him."  **[2]**

"I'm guessing he found out another way and it didn't end well." Roy realized and Sara nodded and everyone was worried what was going to happen until Sara wiped her eyes as they were getting wet as she paused the recording.

"Sorry, I… I just need a few moments." Sara said.

"Yeah. I think we all could take a small break now." Quentin agreed as they got up from their seats, deciding to give Sara some space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Some people were hateful towards Sara for what she did to Oliver. I myself honestly didn't react well at first either but I knew that she had spent enough time with Ivo to be loyal to him despite knowing what he was capable of, with the captive showing a form of trust or affection or loyalty towards their captor, either out of fear or misplaced loyalty. I think you should understand Sara's actions if you put into consideration Stockholm syndrome.
> 
> [2] Many people have wondered if things had been different if Oliver had told Slade the truth about Shado. Honestly, considering how much Mirakuru warped Slade's mind, it was possible that Slade would have killed both him and Sara very painfully if they did tell him. The chances that Slade would not have turned on him were honestly very slim.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	9. The promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see Slade's sanity deteriorate after being injected with the Mirakuru, alongside with understanding Oliver's and Sara's relationship a bit better as some viewers reflect on their past actions until they witness Slade ultimately turn on Oliver and promising to make him siffer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"Wow." Felicity said as they ate at the table. "I can't even imagine how hard it's gotta be for her. Reliving it all… I wonder how exactly things went wrong between them."

"I'm honestly not sure I want to know." Laurel said. "You don't know Sara like I do but the look in her eyes…"

"I've seen her in deep pain before and it's never been like what we just saw." Quentin nodded and everyone became genuinely worried for Oliver and Sara.

* * *

"You sure you want me to go there?" Slade asked as Sara entered his quarters.

"They need to understand, Slade." Sara said and Slade sighed.

"You're right." Slade nodded.

"It's not any easier than it is for you." Sara said.

* * *

When the door to the cantina opened, the people from the past looked surprised to see Slade at Sara's side but with a bit greyer hair and having grown beard and an eyepatch.

"Whoa!" Felicity gapped.

"He's here too?" Quentin asked, surprised.

"I invited him." Sara said.

"OK…" Tommy trailed off, considering that they just saw in the past Slade turning into a bloodthirsty maniac.

"I know you're all shocked to see me and I understand why." Slade said and flinched upon seeing Moira, considering that he killed her. "But I came here to tell you, that none of you are in any danger from me. In my and Sara's time, the Mirakuru wore off a long time ago." They saw the flicker of remorse in his eye. "I remember everything I did and I'm not trying to escape that. But… it feels like… a bad dream."

"Why are you here?" Felicity asked slowly and carefully, trying  _not_  to agitate Slade.

Sara and Slade sighed. "There are things that happened, in our time, that… Slade did that were… horrible. I just want you to understand that…"

"I wasn't always like how you are about to see me." Slade said. "Back then, I became full of rage and bloodlust and gradually lost all sanity until I wanted nothing more but to make the kid suffer and it took a long time before the effects of the Mirakuru wore off. But you need to know… what happened from the moment I was injected with… that's when I stopped becoming the friend you saw I had been towards the kid up to that point and I became… something worse. I'm not going to make excuses for my actions. I just want you all to understand."

They all considered and stared at Slade warily. First, they saw him as an honorable man and now he and Sara warned them that he had become something far worse for a time too… which only made them worry what was going to happen next.

"Are you… are you going to watch with us?" Thea asked carefully.

"No." Slade said bluntly. "Seeing all that… it was me at my worst and it was all because the serum stripped away my sanity. I don't want you to see me like that and pity me. I came here just to help you understand."

They all looked at Slade warily before he left.

"Wow. That was… creepy." Tommy said.

"That's an understatement." Roy nodded.

"I'm guessing you, Oliver and Slade have a lot more complicated history than we had thought." Quentin said.

"You have no idea." Sara nodded. "I just brought him here, so that you could understand."

* * *

After they finished eating, they returned to the viewing room, sitting at their seats.

"It's gonna be harder and harder for you to watch what happens from now on." Sara said. "I won't fault you if you're going to hate Slade, I won't lie, me and Ollie and the rest of us hated him for a long time too and it took a long time until… he came to his senses. I don't expect forgiveness. I just want you to understand."

They all nodded in understanding but worried about what they were about to see.

**Later in the morning, Oliver, Slade and Sara buried Shado under a pile of rocks next to Yao Fei and Robert.**

"Dad…" Thea whispered weakly as her and Moira's eyes were getting wet. Roy and Laurel held Thea's hand, assuring her, while Quentin had his hand on Moira's shoulder for comfort.

**Oliver remarked that Shado always said Oliver was not going to die on the island but she never said such thing about herself.**

They all looked at Oliver sadly, wondering how many more people he would lose in the following years and Moira, Thea, Tommy, Laurel and Quentin felt ashamed of seeing him still as the person before the Gambit.

**Slade picked Shado's hood and handed it to Oliver. Oliver declined before Slade reminded that she cared about Oliver.**

"She loved Oliver…" Quentin realized as Slade sighed and everyone tensed, already knowing the depth of Slade's later grudge.

"If she did… she didn't get the chance to tell him." Sara said sadly as everyone felt sad for Oliver and Slade.

**Oliver was about to follow Slade and tell him the truth, not being able to bottle it up anymore but Sara vainly attempted to assure him and that Mirakuru possibly warped Slade's mind as he was turning into someone else.**

"Oh, my…" Tommy said, lost for words and everyone was worried how bad it would become for Oliver, Sara and Slade.

**Oliver followed Slade, who was pacing down the forest towards his gear in the plane, intending to kill him. Sara, with the crate of Mirakuru, warned Slade that he was outnumbered and that they needed to play it safe. Slade glared at her, suspecting her of still working for Ivo. Oliver stepped up, attempting to calm Slade down but Slade grabbed Oliver by his throat as Oliver choked out as Slade glared.**

"Oh, my God…" Laurel whispered and everyone stared, while Slade closed his eye, ashamed.

"It all becomes worse and worse." Sara warned and everyone gulped, worried about Oliver and Sara.

**Sara hit Slade in the back with a tree branch as Slade let Oliver go. Slade breathed out and widened his eyes in horror, realizing what he just did as he apologized to Oliver, while looking at his hand. Slade leaned onto the tree, horrified as Oliver and Sara realized that Slade's mind was being affected by the Mirakuru.**

"What the hell did the Japanese create?" Felicity asked out loud what everyone was thinking.

"Good question. Slade was losing control more and more until he eventually became a monster." Sara said.

"If I were you, I'd keep one eye open when sleeping around him." Quentin said, disturbed by how much unstable Slade was becoming.

"Me, I'd probably sleep as far away from this guy as possible." Tommy said.

"No kidding." Thea nodded and Moira and Quentin were worried for their children, despite knowing that they made it.

**Later at night, they slept in a camp until Oliver and Sara woke up, as Ivo called out in the radio, trying to reach Sara and wanting Mirakuru, willing to burn the entire island to the ground but willing to reason, while Oliver ordered Sara to find Slade as Ivo promised to bring Oliver, Slade and Sara to the mainland safely.**

"As if anyone would trust you after what you did, you son of a bitch." Laurel sneered as everyone glared at the screen.

"Does he think they're idiots?" Felicity scoffed.

**Oliver wiped his face at Ivo's ruthlessness before Sara later returned and told Oliver that Slade was gone and that he had taken the Mirakuru with him.**

Everyone widened their eyes in horror.

"What? What would he want with that thing?" Thea demanded as everyone stared.

"Where the hell did he go?" Roy wondered before turning to Sara. "And if you say " _You'll see_ ", then please, don't."

Sara chuckled as everyone snickered.

**Oliver and Sara checked the fuselage, looking for Slade as Oliver picked the sensor grid, realizing he could use it to find Slade and Ivo's men.**

**Sara suggested that they should find Ivo and consider his offer.**

"What?!" Tommy, Laurel, Roy and Thea cried out.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Felicity demanded as everyone widened their eyes in disbelief as they turned to Sara behind them. "After what that psychopath did?!"

Sara sighed before they reminded themselves that back then, Sara was suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

"Why did you two of all people have to go through mess like this?" Quentin groaned.

"I've asked myself that question many times." Sara said before they all sighed and turned their attention to the screen again.

**Oliver looked at Sara in disbelief as Sara pointed out that Ivo was just tired and frustrated and he was not evil and that he kept her safe and he taught her a lot, while Oliver coldly told her that Lian Yu taught him that he could not trust anyone.**

"Ollie…" Laurel trailed off as everyone looked at him sadly.

"You've learned, kid." Slade said.

**Later at night, Sara said that she missed her bed back in her home, while Oliver said that he didn't even remember what bed felt like anymore.**

**Oliver pleaded with Sara that she needed to trust him, while Sara reminded that last time she trusted Oliver, she got sucked out of the Gambit as Oliver winced, apologizing to Sara for what happened.**

"That wasn't his fault." Laurel pointed out.

"I know that now." Quentin sighed. "I just wish I had been able to see it sooner."

**Sara admitted that she had a part of the blame too, as she was the one who said "Yes" and that there was another reason, while she went with Oliver on the Gambit, reminding Oliver when he spilled the beer on her at Tommy's party.**

"Yeah, I remember that one, you were quite pissed." Tommy turned to Quentin, who snorted, shaking his head and laughing a little.

"God, those were good old times." Quentin said as he, Tommy, Thea and Moira laughed at the good old days but they didn't notice that Laurel was blushing and tensing, shame filling her, already suspecting what was going to happen next.

**Oliver admitted that he never left any one of Tommy's parties with clear memory as Sara said that she was not supposed to go but she snuck out of the house because she had an embarrassing crush on Oliver, about which Laurel knew, which was the reason the police broke up the party, since Laurel tipped off Quentin, resulting in Sara being grounded for a month and the next thing she knew, Oliver and Laurel were dating as Oliver realized that Laurel tipped off Quentin on purpose.**

" _What_?" Tommy widened his eyes as he, Quentin, Moira and Thea turned to Laurel in shock as she looked ashamed and blushed.

"Wait, so you went onto the boat with Oliver because you were jealous of him and Laurel together?" Thea realized.

"Laurel, is this true?" Quentin asked, not believing that Laurel would do something like this.

Laurel sighed, not wanting to say it out loud but it told them everything they needed to know as they wiped their faces in frustration. "Look, I'm not proud of what I did. We both had a crush on Ollie and I freaked out, OK? If I knew then, what I know now, I never would've done that. It was stupid and selfish of me."

"Look, you were all just teenagers growing up back then, so it's not really your fault." Quentin assured her.

"Jesus…" Felicity shook her head, wondering if Oliver would show any affection towards her but still, she felt sorry for how did the relationships Oliver had with the Lances, turn out.  **[1]**

"Everyone's done things they're not proud of." Diggle assured Laurel and a moment later, everyone shrugged it off and turned their attention to the screen again.

**Few hours later, the fire was extinguished as Sara picked the radio and went out.**

"Tell me you didn't…" Quentin groaned.

Sara just sighed and everyone groaned too.

**Sara called out to Ivo outside the forest as Ivo replied back. Sara scolded him for intending to shoot her, while Ivo tried to assure her that he was never going to hurt her, while Sara reminded that Ivo shot Shado. Ivo replied that he was going to live with that for the rest of his life and that he never intended to hurt anyone, that he wanted to save the humanity.**

"Save it, you bastard." Felicity sneered as everyone glared at the screen.

"No matter what you tell yourself, you can't justify what you've done." Moira hissed.

**Sara was disbelieved that Ivo killed Shado as Ivo said he was going to live with it for the rest of his life.**

"If I were you, I'd start counting my days." Tommy sneered.

**Ivo pleaded with Sara to help him, since he was going deeper into the darkness.**

"Please, tell me you didn't fall for that." Laurel begged.

"You'll see." Sara said and no one reacted, already getting used to Sara saying it.

**Ivo attempted to reach out to Sara as Sara said that she thought that she was a part of a bigger plan, while Ivo attempted to assure her. Sara then said she was happy she wasn't one of those people Ivo tortured and that now she would rather die than keep being a part of Ivo's plans. After a moment, Ivo finally dropped his act for good as he angrily threatened to make her, Oliver and Slade suffer. Sara turned off the radio, not wanting to listen to Ivo's threats as she tried to let the silence sink in. Then, she turned around to see Oliver behind her and then she realized that Oliver was counting on Sara trying to reach out to Ivo and reason with him, only to realize what a monster Ivo truly was.**

"He  _knew_  you would reach out to that bastard." Thea realized.

"He took a huge leap of faith with me." Sara said. "No matter how far gone I might have been, how deep I was in the darkness, Ollie would never stop trying to bring me back to light."  **[2]**

They all smiled in pride that Oliver believed in Sara, no matter what.

**Oliver and Sara decided to go look for Slade as later, the next day, they went back to the graves with the tracker, trying to find Slade as Sara saw the look in Oliver's eyes, full of guilt, just like when he kissed Sara the first time.**

"Well, at least you two felt guilty about it." Laurel said and Sara winced and everyone else shook their heads.

**Oliver said that he truly was guilty because he chose to let Shado die, while Sara tried to assure him that it was not true and that love was the most powerful emotion and that nothing good would come out of Oliver telling Slade the truth.**

"At least you tried to talk some sense into him." Tommy said optimistically.

"A lot of people tried. Not always it worked out the way we wanted to." Sara said sadly as everyone sighed.

**Oliver gave her a look, realizing she was right before the tracker turned off, out of power before they tried to find their way to the cave. They returned back to the graves but didn't find Slade there until they saw some drawings on the wall that Oliver recognized.**

"Wait…" Felicity looked closely. "These look like a trajectory calculation. But who would…" Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, my God, he didn't!"

"What?" Everyone turned to her in confusion.

"Wait, was Fyers' missile launcher still there?" Quentin asked, already catching up to Felicity's thoughts as they turned to Sara, who nodded.

"Oh, no." Thea said as everyone paled.

"Slade's gonna use it to blow up the freighter." Diggle realized.

**Oliver told Sara quickly about Fyers and the mercenaries that he encountered last years and the missile launcher they had until the realization dawned onto him, that Slade intended to blow up the Amazo.**

"He really lost his mind." Laurel said.

"Not completely yet." Sara said grimly.

**Oliver and Sara rushed down the forest towards the missile launcher as Slade snarled, warning Oliver and Sara to stay back as Slade was programming the missile launcher. Oliver warned Slade that Slade was going to destroy their only way off the island, while Slade insanely replied that it was worth killing Ivo.**

"Oh, my God." Laurel, Thea and Felicity said, seeing Slade's eyes full of insanity and relentless rage on the screen.

"He's really lost it." Roy said as everyone stared in disbelief.

"Nothing else but revenge mattered to him at that point." Sara said.

"And once he found out about Shado, he turned on you two." Moira realized.

"Yeah…" Sara said sadly.

**Oliver attempted to reach Slade but Slade pulled out his gun, aiming at Oliver, warning him to stay back. Oliver attempted to reach Slade, make him think about Shado but Slade forced Oliver down on his knees, aiming the gun at Oliver's face. Oliver said he was going to tell Slade about Shado and Sara looked worried.**

"He's really gonna…" Thea trailed off.

"No. That's not when it happened." Sara shook her head as everyone wondered what was Oliver going to do.

**To Sara's relief, Oliver told Slade that Shado loved him, not in the way Slade may have wanted to but she wanted Slade to make it back home to his son Joe safely and that if Slade destroyed Amazo, despite how understandable his anger was, Shado would have died for nothing.**

"Did he ever… make it back home to his son?" Moira wondered.

"Not exactly. And you're not gonna see it here." Sara said as everyone wondered what happened to Slade.

**Slade finally backed off as he fell against the launcher and put his gun down, horrified by what he was turning into. Oliver promised Slade to help him get through this as Slade cursed that Ivo was still alive and on the freighter, while Oliver suggested that they would take Amazo.**

"I'm guessing it did not go down the way you had intended." Quentin said.

"No." Sara said, not that it surprised anyone as they sighed.

**Sometime later, they observed Amazo from a distance as Sara watched through the goggles. Slade wondered how they would get onboard the ship in the first place to take on Ivo's men, while Oliver suggested building a raft. Sara protested that they had no time, while Slade gave her a rude retort that he had more than enough time. Oliver told Slade to shut up as he heard something. Sara told him he did not have to stand up for her.**

"At least he did." Laurel said.

"Wait for it." Sara said as everyone looked confused now.

**Oliver said he heard something as they all listened… it was a plane engine.**

"Please, tell me you get out." Tommy hoped vainly.

"Sorry to disappoint." Sara said as he sighed.

**Oliver, Slade and Sara looked up and rushed down the forest, trying to call out for help until they saw a missile from Amazo shoot down the plane as it plummeted to the ground on the island.**

"Oh, come on! So damn close!" Felicity and everyone else groaned.

"Honestly, I'm not even surprised at this point." Tommy said.

"I guess no one is." Diggle nodded.

"It's not like Anthony would've let us escape anyway." Sara shrugged.

**They went towards the wreckage and Slade ripped the door off as the pilot seemed to be dead. Slade tried to call out on the radio, only to find out that it was destroyed upon the fall as he ripped it out of the plane in disgust.**

"Great." Thea groaned.

"Of course it's busted." Roy muttered.

"Why make it any easier for them?" Felicity asked sarcastically.

**Sara moved in closer and gently touched the pilot's shoulder as he gasped, opening his eyes.**

"Oh, my God." Laurel said as everyone looked relieved and hopeful, save for Quentin, Sara and Diggle.

"I don't think he's gonna make it for long." Quentin said.

"Honestly, it's a miracle he woke up." Diggle said as the atmosphere in the room turned solemn.

**Sara told Oliver and Slade to bring some medical supplies in the fuselage as they left her. Sara attempted to keep the pilot awake as he asked her to pull out his wallet from his pocket as she saw a photo of a little girl in it. The man explained that without him she was not going to have anyone to look after her, as he begged Sara to look after her.**

"Who was that?" Laurel wondered.

"Did you ever find her?" Moira asked.

"I did. And I did look out for her, for a time." Sara said, feeling nostalgic.

"What happened to her?" Roy asked.

Sara sighed. "She's not dead. It's… let's just say things happened because of which I couldn't stay with her."

Everyone looked at Sara sadly as they turned to the screen again.

**Oliver and Slade returned back with the medical supplies but the pilot had already succumbed to his injuries, much to their frustration.**

Everyone looked sad and solemn as they watched the screen.

**Oliver and Slade were aggravated before Oliver pulled something out of the wreckage and threw towards Slade a backpack with a parachute.**

"They can use that to get to the freighter." Felicity pointed out.

"I'm guessing things didn't go as planned, did they?" Diggle said.

"No. That's when it went to hell." Sara said grimly and no one was looking forward to see what was going to happen next.

**In the following days, Oliver was training intensively archery and doing pullups and running and exercising to prepare for the fight.**

"Ollie…" Thea said as everyone was impressed by his dedication and effort.

**Slade pulled the arrow out of the target as he pointed out that Shado would be proud and that Oliver needed to be fast, when shooting.**

"This is not gonna end well, is it?" Roy asked. The look in Sara's eyes told them everything they needed to know as they felt worried about Oliver and Sara.

**Back in the fuselage, they were preparing an attack plan as Sara mixed to Oliver some medicine at a makeshift table as Oliver asked if it was going to work and Sara promised it would as Oliver pointed out it smelled.**

Everyone wondered what was Sara doing but they already expected her to just to give a vague answer, so no one spoke up.

**Oliver accompanied Sara outside, suggesting that they should destroy Mirakuru before Ivo could get it.**

"I agree." Diggle said.

"Some things people never should get their hands on." Moira nodded, her thoughts returning back to Malcolm and the earthquake device.

**Sara pointed out that Slade might not let them destroy it but Slade overheard them as he considered before agreeing. Later at night, Oliver and Sara burned the crate, in which was the Mirakuru.**

"Something tells me it wasn't there." Roy said.

"No." Sara shook her head.

"How badly did Slade lose his marbles, if he stole it?" Felicity asked.

"You really want to know?" Sara challenged and Felicity was quiet. "Thought so."

**Sara said that Ivo wanted to save the world with the Mirakuru, that it was his dream.**

"But he lied to me. I wish I had seen through him earlier." Sara said.

"It's not your fault." Diggle assured her as Sara nodded.

**Sara pointed out that Slade wanted to kill Ivo, once they took the freighter. Oliver said he was not going to let that happen, while Sara warned that Ivo would turn it around by shifting the blame regarding Shado towards Oliver, that Oliver chose Sara over her and that Oliver had to kill him.**

"What?" Felicity gapped. "But that's cold-blooded murder!"

"If we let him live, he would've turned Slade against us." Sara said coldly.

"That doesn't mean…"

"Felicity, some monsters need to be stopped by whatever means necessary and either you're willing to do whatever it takes to save everyone, or you don't get to follow Oliver in his mission. Sometimes, it's either " _kill or be killed_ " and there's no other choice there to make." Sara snapped.  **[3]**

"She's not wrong." Quentin said but he and Laurel and Tommy were disturbed that Sara would ever condone murder.

Felicity trailed off, considering.

**Later, they returned back to the fuselage as Slade showed them a half-full bottle of Reuther rum as he proposed a drink.**

"God, I miss that thing." Sara laughed. "" _Always drink good booze._ " Slade's words."

Slade shook his head too, smiling back in his room.

**They all took a drink before Oliver started to talk about if he did not make it but Slade cut him off, not wanting Oliver to be a pessimist as Slade left, until Oliver turned to Sara, wanting her to tell his family that he had changed after the Gambit, while Sara requested to Oliver that he'd tell her family that she died on the Gambit, wanting them to remember the way she was, if either one of them did not make it back home.**

"Ollie…" Laurel sighed as she, Quentin, Moira and Thea felt touched, realizing Oliver wanted to protect them from the painful truth.

"I understand why you wanted him to lie." Quentin turned to Sara. "And I just want you to know… I don't blame you. Either one of you. Not anymore. For what it's worth… I forgive you both."

"Me too." Laurel said as Sara wiped her eyes, nodding.

"No one should blame either of you after what you've gone through." Diggle said as everyone nodded in understanding and agreement.

**As they were trying to get some sleep, Oliver dreamt about being in a field, as across him Shado was holding a blade in her hand, stabbing Oliver repeatedly in anger because he chose Sara over her until Oliver's eyes shot open as he woke up back in the fuselage as morning came.**

"Damn." Roy said as everyone tensed from seeing Oliver's nightmare.

"I didn't think he could feel so much guilt…" Tommy said.

"And it was barely the surface." Sara warned as everyone looked worried about Oliver.

**Oliver turned to Yao Fei's crate as he pulled out the green hood.**

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"The first time he put it on…" Laurel realized.

"How on Earth did he outsmart me? I had him and he outsmarted me." Quentin groaned as Moira chuckled, realizing that Diggle was actually in disguise as the Hood as he was much taller and muscular, when he interrogated her and Oliver, while Oliver had a bit smaller stature.

**Slade opened another box to reveal his balaclava mask.**

Sara glared at the mask as everyone saw the look in her eyes and it told them everything they needed to know.

"Oh, boy…" Roy muttered as they turned to the screen again.

**The group went down the forest as back in the freighter, Anatoly was playing dices with another prisoner, Hendrik, while in another cell, another prisoner, probably a preacher, considering he had the Bible in his hand and a crucifix around his neck, remarked that Anatoly was simply a better cheater than Hendrik. Hendrik spat the preacher as he spat the rat.**

Everyone glared at Hendrik on the screen.

"Asshole." Thea sneered and Moira and Quentin automatically glared at her for swearing.

"You have no idea." Sara nodded.

**The prisoners in the freighter ranted before the captain entered and they were quiet. The captain let Anatoly out as Ivo was talking on a satphone with a doctor, who told him that his wife's condition was deteriorating and even modern medicine could not help her.**

"That's why he wanted the Mirakuru." Quentin realized.

"He was a liar and a manipulator from the start, I just didn't see it until it was too late." Sara admitted.

"If it hadn't been for what he did to all those people, you and Shado, I'd feel sorry for him." Tommy said.

"No kidding." Felicity nodded.

**They strapped Anatoly to a chair as Anatoly tried to plead with Ivo, since Anatoly was a member of the Bratva and they could pay Ivo off but Ivo rebuffed Anatoly's offer, instead intending to take his eye.**

"Gosh, Sara…" Quentin muttered, not believing that Sara worked with someone like Ivo.

Felicity, Tommy, Laurel and Thea groaned, not wanting to watch what Ivo was going to do.

"Wait a minute, Bratva…" Diggle trailed off before the realization hit him. "So, Anatoly is the one who Oliver saved!" He remembered now.

"What?" Everyone turned to Diggle in confusion.

"When we met the Bratva guy to set up a meeting with the Count, Oliver said that he saved someone from them named Anatoly." Diggle explained and Sara nodded.

"That's him." Sara said and Diggle already looked forward to see Oliver's relationship with Anatoly.

**Ivo was about to pull Anatoly's eye out with some kind of pliers as his henchman held Anatoly by his head, much to his horror.**

**At the coast, Oliver observed the freighter before he ignited an arrow and fired at the pyre but missed. Slade gave a dry remark that they needed to hurry while Oliver lamely protested that he missed because of a breeze.**

"Really? Breeze?" Thea cracked as everyone laughed in amusement.

"I guess he hasn't changed that much." Laurel said.

"Oh, Oliver, always have to come up with lame excuses, if he screws up." Moira nodded.

"That's typical of him." Tommy nodded.

"And you've never made any lame excuses, when you screwed up?" Laurel challenged with a smirk and Tommy was quiet as everyone snickered again, this time at Tommy's expense.

"I hate you." Tommy muttered as Laurel's smirk widened.

"Stupid kid." Slade muttered.

**Oliver ignited and notched another arrow and this time, he managed to make the pyre explode.**

**Ivo and his men heard the explosion as he looked outside the window and decided to focus on Oliver, Slade and Sara.**

**Sara looked at the raft with two of Ivo's men through the binoculars as Slade said that they were strangers at first, when they met and were trying to get off the island but now they were brothers.**

"Pity it didn't last for long." Sara sighed as the viewers tensed.

Slade sighed, ashamed of his actions.

**Oliver told to Slade he'd see him on the freighter. Ivo's men chased Oliver at the beach until Oliver tripped over a tree root as he fell down. The captain punched Oliver in the face, dazing him as they picked Oliver up, saying that Oliver was lucky that Ivo wanted him alive.**

"Too easy, isn't it?" Tommy realized.

"How stupid these guys are?" Quentin wondered.

"Is that a serious question?" Sara asked rhetorically.

**Oliver was back in his cell back on Amazo as Anatoly said dryly that they were saved.**

"Wait for it." Tommy beat Sara to it as she gave him a look, while everyone snickered.

**Oliver was in his cell, waiting until the preacher picked a rat as he recognized Oliver, while introducing himself as Reverend Thomas Flynn. Hendrik, doing pullups, noted that Oliver was with Sara, while noting that Sara was a blonde whore.**

"Watch your mouth when you talk about my baby girl." Quentin sneered as he and Laurel glared at the screen.

**Oliver protested that Sara was a prisoner just like the rest of them, while Hendrik retorted that she never screamed.**

"It was a different kind of prison." Quentin noted as everyone nodded.

**Flynn explained himself that Ivo tricked him into going on Amazo but wasn't quite saddened by his presence on the boat, considering that Flynn was a missionary.**

"How can he be so calm?" Felicity wondered as everyone was amazed and had a lot of respect for Flynn.

"You would be surprised how some apparently weak people have incredibly strong willpower." Quentin said.

"No kidding." Sara muttered, her thoughts returning to Emiko as she glanced at Moira, wondering if she should tell them... now wasn't the time.

**Oliver was later dragged by Ivo's men back in Ivo's lab as he was strapped to the chair, where Anatoly had been earlier. Ivo interrogated Oliver, demanding to know about Slade's and Sara's whereabouts, while Oliver said he was never going to tell him until he cut open Oliver's sleeve and pulled out a syringe with a white liquid.**

"Shit." Diggle swore, recognizing the liquid.

"What is it?" Thea asked him, worried.

"Sodium pentothal. The truth serum." Sara said as everyone paled.

"Oh, no." Moira said.

"Wait…" Sara said as everyone relaxed.

**Oliver tried to struggle as Ivo's men held him down until the liquid apparently started to take effect as Oliver seemed to be in some kind of a trance as Ivo interrogated him. Oliver told Ivo that the bonfire on a beach was a distraction and that Slade and Sara were in the engine room, despite that Oliver seemed to struggle not to tell Ivo.**

They were worried at first that Oliver had revealed Slade's and Sara's location until they remembered Sara's reminder.

**Ivo ordered to sound the alarm and the men to go into the engine room as the men guarding Oliver and Ivo put him back in his cell.**

**Then, the scene changed to earlier, when Sara did a mixture that counteracted Ivo's truth serum and fed it to Oliver.**

"Wow, nice!" Quentin said, impressed.

"Guess he didn't see that coming." Moira smirked.

"Oh, he's in for it." Felicity nodded.

No one noticed the grim look on Sara's face as they forgot that it would turn out badly soon enough.

**Oliver took out the two pirates guarding him and took their keys before he went towards the cell block.**

**Back on Lian Yu, Sara and Slade saw the deck getting clear as she had Oliver's bow and quiver with arrows. Slade and Sara jumped off the cliff with the parachute as they sailed through the air onboard Amazo until Sara met Oliver, who had Shado's hood on as she handed him the bow. They went down the deck as Slade put on his mask and ordered Oliver to leave Ivo to him as Slade pulled out his gun.**

"This is not gonna end well, is it?" Laurel sighed.

"I wish I could say it is." Sara said sadly.

**In the cell block, Sara freed Anatoly and other prisoners, much to their surprise, until Hendrik grabbed her by her throat and slammed her to the ground, wanting payback for what she let Ivo do to the prisoners.**

"Oh, no, you don't, you bastard!" Quentin snarled as everyone glared at the screen.

"Don't worry." Sara assured them, even though she glared at the screen too, reliving the horror.

**In the engine room, Slade was ruthlessly slaughtering any pirates he came across, not letting anyone escape.**

"Oh, my God…" Moira whispered as everyone stared at Slade's brutality.

"At that point, Slade lost all his restraint and honor." Sara said. "The Mirakuru enhanced his rage and hatred to the point that it fueled him for years."

"And I'm guessing he aimed it at Oliver later." Tommy realized.

"But… you did cure him? Right?" Felicity asked hopefully. "He didn't have the Mirakuru in him when we met him." She reminded.

"Yeah but by that time, a lot of innocent people had died already." Sara said, glancing towards Moira sadly, not that anyone noticed. "Sometimes I wonder if we could've cured him back then…"

Everyone looked worried at what Slade was going to do in the recording.

**Hendrik kept on choking Sara until Flynn knocked him out with a pipe.**

"Oh, thank God." Laurel and Quentin sighed in relief as everyone relaxed.

**Oliver was searching for Ivo as the prisoners were overpowering the pirates and sections of the freighter were exploding. On deck, Oliver managed to take out a pirate as he rushed to the wheelhouse.**

**Ivo was talking with his wife as she did not recognize him and barely remembered him as he wanted to cure her.**

"Alzheimer…" Felicity realized.

"He thought Mirakuru could cure her. But we all had been too stupid to see the truth." Sara said as everyone felt a little sympathy towards Ivo.

"Doesn't justify what he did." Quentin sneered as everyone nodded.

**Ivo heard gunshots and an explosion went off, knocking him down on the floor as Oliver entered, notching an arrow as Ivo goaded Oliver for not being able to kill an unarmed man in cold blood.**

"That's why Ollie is not the killer you or the news think that he is." Sara said. "He may have become a killer but he's never killed anyone in cold blood unless he really had to."  **[4]**

"Well, except for maybe Justin Claybourne." Quentin remembered.

"Wait, " _Claybourne_ " as in Claybourne Pharmaceuticals?" Felicity remembered the name.

"The Hood gave him a warning to reduce the prices to a drug called Dycloseral, which treated tuberculosis. Back then there was an outbreak in Lamb Valley and Claybourne jacked up the prices, so they couldn't afford it. When Claybourne didn't listen to his warning, the Hood responded by putting an arrow in his chest and Claybourne drowned in his own pool." Quentin summed up.

"That doesn't sound like Ollie." Laurel said, wondering if from what she has just seen or known about Oliver from the recording and as the Hood, would really kill a man in cold blood.

"Most of his kills were in self-defense, save for this one." Quentin said.

"Because Claybourne was associated with AK Desmond Group. Black marketers focused on bio-weapons." Diggle explained.

"Like weaponized tuberculosis." Moira realized and Diggle nodded as all the pieces fell together.

"When Ollie found out, that's how he responded." Sara said. "And it wasn't the first son of a bitch that Ollie met, trying to earn a top dollar by infecting innocent people with a disease. You'll see in Year Three."

Everyone was worried how bad it was going to be for Oliver later.

**Ivo taunted Oliver that the mad scientist gave Oliver a choice and Oliver chose Sara and Oliver felt responsible for it. Oliver responded that it would not stop it from killing Ivo until Ivo taunted what would _he_ do. Oliver slowly turned around as Slade took off his mask, looking at Oliver in disbelief.**

"Oh, no." Laurel, Thea, Felicity and Tommy breathed out as they all tensed, realizing that Slade was behind Oliver the whole time, hearing every word.

**Slade stared, heartbroken and in disbelief, demanding to know the truth as Oliver attempted to explain himself but Ivo told Slade that the scientist acted rashly, while Oliver attempted to plead with Slade and explain everything, saying that Ivo was just trying to save his own skin. But the Mirakuru had washed out whatever sanity Slade had left at that point as he pulled out his sword and Oliver dodged, while Ivo ran out from the room. Slade kicked Oliver back as he dragged the wheel and the ship turned to the left as everything not secured fell down. Slade slammed Oliver to the ceiling, glaring as Oliver choked out, while Slade was full intent on killing both him and Ivo.**

"That's when it happened…" Diggle realized.

"That's when it happened." Sara said sadly.

**Tremors followed, causing for Slade to let Oliver go as the freighter hit the shore.**

"Phew." Thea sighed in relief, glad that her brother made it out.

"Oh, thank God." Felicity said.

"Jinx." Sara said and everyone groaned.

**The pirates and the prisoners engaged in a firefight as explosions went off on the deck. Oliver fought his way through the pirates as he approached Sara, Anatoly and Flynn as he fended off the pirates shooting at them, telling Sara that Slade knows as Sara paled.**

"Out of the frying pan…" Laurel trailed off.

"…right into the fire." Sara nodded and everyone paled, having a feeling that it was about to become worse and worse from that point forward.

**The prisoners jumped off the freighter as Oliver attempted to too but Slade caught him by the leg as he was about to jump.**

"Oh, shit!" Tommy cursed as everyone looked worried about Oliver.

**Slade threw Oliver back onboard like a ragdoll before knocking him out and locking him back in his cell. The captain tried to shoot Slade but Slade was unfazed by the shot before he crushed the captain's skull with his bare hands.**

"He's lost it totally." Roy realized.

"And it was just the beginning." Sara said grimly.

**Slade claimed that Amazo was his ship now as the pirates surrendered in fear.**

**Sara and the prisoners swam to the shore of Lian Yu before they noticed that Slade must have captured him.**

**Slade dragged Oliver out as Slade neared Ivo, who tried to plead for his life, that Slade needed the scientist because of the Mirakuru in his system and Slade said that he also had with him the syringes with the serum and revealed that Sara and Oliver had burned a box of dirt.**

"Damn it!" Quentin groaned, despite that the viewers suspected that Slade had kept the serum.

"Whatever sanity Slade had, died the moment he was injected with the Mirakuru." Sara said.

"What… what is he gonna do with it?" Felicity asked, worried.

"Nothing good." Sara said and everyone gulped.

**Ivo pleaded to help Slade with the serum as Slade accused Ivo of murdering Shado, while Ivo said that Oliver chose Sara over Shado.**

"He'd say anything to save his own skin." Quentin sneered.

"And he used that to turn Slade against Ollie, hatred that fueled him for years." Sara said.

**Slade ordered Ivo to aim his gun at Oliver like how he killed Shado as Oliver got up and tried to reason with Slade, saying that he cared about both Sara and Shado, not wanting for Shado to die and that he and Slade were brothers but Slade did not listen.**

**Slade then swung his sword, cutting Ivo's hand with his gun off, when Ivo confirmed how he killed Shado and he fell to his knees, clutching the stump of his arm before Slade ordered the guards to drag Ivo out.**

"You deserved that, you son of a bitch." Thea sneered and no one disagreed with her.

**Slade then promised to make Oliver suffer the same way Slade had suffered, making him know complete despair, saying that killing Oliver now would have been a mercy.**

"Jesus, he's gone insane." Quentin said as they all stared in shock.

"And it took years until he regained his sanity." Sara nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Some Lauriver or Canarrow fanatics might roast me for this but I don't care. I'm just stating the facts here. This is nothing against Laurel but sometimes I hate how the relationships Oliver / Sara and Oliver / Laurel were established. Some people accuse Sara of being a selfish bitch and a whore that cares about no one but herself. Other people on the other hand say that about Laurel. I honestly prefer Oliver / Laurel since Sara was an original character as a sibling, created exclusively for the show, like Thea but I can see why Oliver / Sara would have worked out. While I like both pairings, I dislike the circumstances preceding them, since they paint Laurel as a jealous bitch and Sara as a backstabbing whore. I don't mean any offense to either Lance sisters, I'm just stating the facts and I wish the showrunners had not ruined the basis itself of the pairing GA / BC in the show, especially after how they ruined Sara with her sleeping around with any girl she can meet in the Legends and how egoistic and self-righteous Laurel became in Season 3 and Season 4 regarding bringing Sara back to life and in Season 2 treating Laurel like crap with the drug addict arc until she became an unlikeable bitch.
> 
> You have a problem with my arguments, it's your problem. Wanna argue, I don't care, since I'm not gonna waste my time replying back and all negative comments regarding this, if they are not compelling, reasonable and without dirty language, are gonna be deleted and/or ignored. I just stated all the facts to you. Don't bother trying to roast me with cursing and swearing, since it will only show how pathetic you are, if you don't have compelling and reasonable arguments.
> 
> [2] The whole Sara's mentality regarding "I'm dark and twisted and I need to stay away from you since you deserve better." is honestly utter bullshit. I partly get where she's coming from but her running away from Oliver and her family and her problems is honestly annoying and it happened mainly so that Guggenheim and Mericle could remove any obstacles for Olicity.
> 
> [3] and [4] Season 5 seriously pissed me off by making Oliver a psychopath that enjoyed killing. If that were true, his kill count would've been up to two, maybe three digits and he didn't kill anyone unless he necessarily had to, such as Ted Gaynor, who was about to kill Diggle or Guillermo Barrera in self-defense. Claybourne however bugged me, since it was cold-blooded murder. Some people argued that Claybourne's scheme reminded Oliver of what General Shrieve did in Hong Kong, which is a good point, but still, the Claybourne plot was honestly a weak basis regarding Adrian Chase's quest as Prometheus, vowing to make Oliver suffer and convince him he's a monster that enjoys killing. Plus, if Diggle and Felicity had not convinced Oliver in Season 4 to give up killing, Laurel might have lived if Oliver had killed Darhk.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	10. Losing a brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see how did Oliver and Sara have do deal with Slade until they got separated again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**Oliver was chained up in the prison area, each arm stretched as one of the prisoners punched him in the face before Slade faced Oliver. Oliver tried to reach Slade before he weakly cried out in pain as another pirate was making a tattoo on Oliver's back.**

"Ollie…" Thea whimpered as she, Moira, Felicity and Laurel were worried for Oliver, holding back tears.

"Whatever respect and friendship Slade had for Ollie, died the moment Ivo twisted the truth around." Sara said sadly. "From that point, all that was left was rage, insanity and hate."

Everyone was worried what did Slade do to Oliver in the past, while under the influence of Mirakuru.

**Slade wondered why Amazo was not moving, while one of the prisoners explained that they managed to fix the hull but could not fix the engine. Slade demanded for the engine to be fixed but the man said he could not. Enraged, Slade grabbed him by his throat before the man explained he did not know how, while Slade ordered to find someone, who did know.**

"Commanding them through fear and brute force, he's no better than Fyers was." Diggle sneered as everyone was disturbed by the drastic change in Slade's character.

"It was only the surface." Sara said. "He had become more and more filled with anger and resentment until he turned into a monster. And it cost him." She sighed, thinking about what happened later to Slade's son Joe.

"What do you mean?" Thea asked.

"It's… now's not the time to talk about it." Sara said as they turned to the screen again, realizing that it was another fact that she might explain later.

**Back on Lian Yu, Sara, Anatoly and other escapees took shelter in the fuselage, not that it assured Hendrik. Sara saw Oliver's arrows on a crate as they all wondered what to do next until they heard Slade on a radio, calling out to Sara.**

**Sara picked the radio and replied, wanting to know what happened to Oliver. Slade said that Oliver was in pain but still alive for now.**

"Ollie…" Thea whispered as she, Felicity, Moira and Laurel were worried about Oliver, whereas Tommy, Quentin, Roy and Diggle glared at Slade on the screen, their blood boiling.

**Sara attempted to negotiate that Slade could use _Amazo_  to leave and let Oliver go, leaving both him and Sara stranded on Lian Yu.**

"Sweetie, what have I told you about trying to negotiate with madmen?" Quentin rolled his eyes.

"I had honestly hoped that there still was a part of Slade that Ollie had known. Back then we were young, stupid and naïve." Sara reminded and Moira, Quentin, Laurel and Tommy winced at the reminder, considering the circumstances under which Sara left with Oliver on Gambit and what happened at Tommy's birthday party couple of years back. Thea especially felt ashamed regarding using drugs and Quentin regarding him lashing out, while drunk.

**Slade said that he could not leave because the engine had been damaged during the attack on the freighter and that he was willing to trade Oliver for someone qualified enough to fix _Amazo_.**

"Who?" Felicity wondered.

"Guess." Sara said.

**Slade requested for Hendrik as Sara turned to the man, who tried to choke her earlier, in shock, as Hendrik paled.**

"Oh, you have gotta be freaking kidding me." Tommy groaned as everyone stared in shock and disbelief.

"Are you serious?" Thea demanded as everyone immediately knew things were about to get worse.

"Well, this is not gonna end well." Roy muttered.

"You have no idea." Sara said.

**Sara acknowledged Slade's request but she attempted to lie and say that Hendrik was not with them, much to Hendrik's relief.**

"Seriously? You really thought he was gonna buy that?" Laurel snorted.

"You may have become a better liar now but back then, you sucked." Quentin said.

"I did manage to fool you into thinking that I was in college." Sara reminded and Laurel and Quentin felt like they had been punched in the gut.

"That was low." Quentin muttered as he and Laurel scowled, while everyone else snickered at the Lance's expense. " _Don't_  say it." He and Laurel shot Tommy, Moira, Thea and Roy quick glares as they were about to open their mouths before they instead had wide smiles on their faces.

**Slade turned the mic to Oliver, who told her _not_  to give into Slade's demands. Slade gave Sara one last chance to trade Oliver for Hendrik, while Sara attempted to lie again, trying to tell Slade that Hendrik did not make it to the island. Slade remarked that Sara was a poor liar as he kept the line opened, while another man had a sponge clamped into an electrode attached to a battery as he put it onto Oliver's bare skin as Oliver screamed in pain.**

"Ollie!" Laurel screamed as Thea, Moira and Felicity gasped, while everyone stared in horror.

"He stopped seeing Ollie as a brother. Only as an enemy." Sara said as Slade looked down in shame again from his past actions, while everyone was disturbed by Slade's ruthlessness towards Oliver, a contrast to his previous respect and care for Oliver.

**Sara begged Slade to stop torturing Oliver, that he was Slade's friend but Slade ignored her please and warned that he was going to kill Oliver in an hour if they did not hand Hendrik over before Slade hung up. Back on the island, Sara turned to Hendrik, trying to plead with him but Hendrik aimed a gun at her head, having no intention of returning back to _Amazo_.**

"Great." Quentin and Laurel grumbled.

"I'm guessing he did go back and not in the nice way." Roy said and Sara nodded and everyone looked worried about how much bad this was gonna turn out.

**Another escapee tried to reason with Hendrik as Hendrik aimed his gun at everyone, wanting to run. Anatoly looked at Hendrik in disgust as Hendrik pointed his gun at him, taunting that Hendrik was unable to kill someone. Hendrik aimed the gun at Anatoly's forehead, while Sara shot Hendrik a glare before she picked a piece of metal and whacked him in the head from behind, knocking him out as Anatoly smiled and nodded gratefully.**

"Nicely done, honey." Quentin said as he and Laurel chuckled.

"Remind me to never piss you off." Felicity said.

"One of the things you've had to learn the hard way." Sara said and Felicity immediately paled, while Sara laughed. "Don't worry, Felicity, I didn't do anything to you, let's just say you should be more careful and not reckless and stupid."

Felicity shivered, dozens of dreadful scenarios of what Sara might do to her, running through her mind.

"She's just messing with you, don't worry." Quentin assured the blonde with the glasses, although it seemed like he was more trying to assure himself.

**Back on _Amazo_ , the crewmen were tattooing Oliver's back, much to his confusion as Slade explained that in Roman times, criminals were branded to identify for their crimes, to forever remind them of what they had done as he touched Oliver's back on his left shoulder, on which was now the dragon tattoo that Shado had too, while Oliver cried out in pain, telling Oliver that it was going to be his brand for the rest of his life, however short it was going to be.**

"That's how he got that tattoo…" Moira realized.

"Oh, my God…" Tommy said what everyone was thinking, worried how much more pain was Oliver going to go through later.

"That tattoo… why didn't Ollie get rid of it?" Thea wondered.

"I asked myself that a lot. Maybe he was punishing himself for what happened to her. Maybe he needed something to hold onto the memory of Shado. Honestly, I think it was both." Sara admitted.

**Sara called out to Slade as Slade picked the mic and said he was hoping that Sara had made the right choice as in the fuselage, it was revealed that Sara and the escapees had tied Hendrik up as Hendrik glared.**

"You really were gonna hand him over to Slade?" Felicity asked, worried. They all understood that their options were limited but seeing Sara trade one life for another…

"You'll see." Sara said and no one reacted. At this point, they were used to Sara saying it.

**Hendrik roared in rage, trying to free himself and threatening to kill them all. Anatoly told Hendrik that it was nothing personal until he corrected himself gleefully that maybe a little as he put a gag around Hendrik's mouth.**

"Well, not that he didn't deserve a little payback but this is quite… extreme." Tommy noted.

**Sara said that it was about survival as she got up from the crate she was sitting on, while Peter scoffed that it was a poor justification for murder.**

"There really was no other way?" Felicity asked with vain hope.

"Not really." Sara admitted sadly as Felicity sighed. "We did try… another option but it didn't work out the way we had hoped it would."

Everyone was confused and curious what did Sara and Anatoly do.

**Peter and Anatoly argued about the trade as Peter pointed out that Hendrik was as good as dead, once he would fix the freighter.**

"He's not wrong." Diggle said.

**Anatoly pointed out that Hendrik would've done the same thing to any of the escapees without hesitation and that this was their only option, while an idea suddenly sparked in Sara's brain, suggesting that this was an opportunity to kill Slade.**

Everyone looked at her in shock as Sara shrugged. "We were all trying to survive, whatever it took. And honestly, that was not Slade anymore."

"Yeah, we get that but… still… well… I… uh…" Felicity trailed off, not sure how to put it.

"I think what Miss Smoak is trying to say is that you're the last person we'd expect to suggest something this extreme back then. Ivo, we could understand but Slade was a different matter." Quentin elaborated and Felicity nodded gratefully that he managed to put the words to her thoughts as Sara shrugged again.

**Later, Anatoly and Sara were outside the fuselage as Anatoly dug the ground around the landmine, wondering what kind of island Lian Yu was. Sara asked if Anatoly could remove the explosive from the landmine. Anatoly said that he could, since he was former KGB as he tried to carefully remove the explosive as he removed the detonator.**

Everyone tensed, as they expected for a split second that the mine would go off before they sighed in relief.

**Anatoly said in relief that they were not dead as Sara explained her plan, that they'd let Slade take Hendrik and once they were far enough away, the bomb they'd plant on Hendrik would explode, taking Slade with him as she reminded Anatoly that their options were limited and this was an opportunity to take out Slade, while Anatoly wondered when did Sara become so scary as he stared at her, mix of impression and concern.**

"Good question." Quentin said as he and Laurel were becoming more and more disturbed and worried by Sara's ruthlessness and what she had become since then.

"Honestly, around the time Gambit went down." Sara said coolly.

"And let me guess, this is where it all goes to hell." Moira said and Sara nodded.

**Back in the fuselage, Slade and the pirates arrived with Ivo and Oliver, with the latter beaten up, much to Sara's worry as Slade handed them both over while Slade eyed unconscious Hendrik, wondering what happened, while Sara explained that Hendrik did not agree to the trade, not that it surprised Slade. Slade picked Hendrik, while Anatoly discreetly pulled a pin out of the explosive under Hendrik's shirt.**

"Please, tell me it worked." Tommy begged as he turned to Sara. The dark look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know as he groaned and everyone looked worried.

**Slade ordered them to stop as he noted that Mirakuru gave him enhanced senses too, asides from strength as he was able to smell TNT until he removed the explosive under Hendrik's shirt**

Quentin groaned. "So damn close."

"That guy's invincible with that serum." Roy said, frustrated.

"No one's invincible. You just need strong enough willpower to beat them. There's always a way." Sara said and everyone hoped to see Oliver and Sara stop Slade somehow.

**Slade demanded to know how long before the explosive would go off as he taunted that it would not kill him anyway as he was tempted to blow them all up as he eyed Sara, Anatoly and the escapees hatefully. Slade pulled out his gun and aimed at Sara's head, tempted to kill her like how Ivo killed Shado.**

"Stay away from my daughter, you son of a bitch." Quentin sneered as everyone glared at the screen, but Quentin's and Laurel's looks were the fiercest as Sara shivered, reliving the horror.

"Don't worry." Sara assured them as they all relaxed but couldn't stop glaring at the screen.

**Oliver stepped up in front of Slade, shielding her until Shado appeared behind Slade.**

"What the hell?!" Tommy demanded as everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Hallucinations." Sara explained. "One of the side effects of the Mirakuru. It's what fueled Slade's hatred and rage towards Ollie for years and the main reason of the psychological damage that Slade had endured."

"Oh, no." Diggle said, suspecting that it was going to be much worse for Oliver and Sara than they had thought and that Slade's rage was deeper than they had expected.

**"Shado" told Slade that death was a mercy for them both and that their punishment was going to be their prison for the rest of their days. He ordered the pirates to get Hendrik back on the ship as Ivo attempted to plead with Slade again, offering to help him as Slade threatened Ivo with his gun.**

"Spineless bastard until the very end." Quentin sneered in disgust as everyone glared at the scientist.

"I hope he burns in hell." Thea said.

"He won't be a problem for much longer." Sara promised as they watched with intrigue.

**Slade glared at Ivo and shoved him back, deciding to leave him to die. Before he was about to walk away, Slade promised to Oliver and Sara to "send a message" to their families as he intended to "visit" them as soon as the freighter was fixed.**

Moira and Thea shivered in fear and Quentin instinctively wrapped his arm around Laurel protectively at the thought of Slade coming after them as Quentin held Moira's arm protectively too, while the two Queens embraced each other and Tommy held Laurel and Roy held Thea by their legs.

**Slade walked away as later, Sara tended to Oliver's injuries and she helped him get up as he leaned onto her shoulder. She helped Oliver to his trunk as Oliver looked at the green hood, while Sara looked at him.**

They all saw how much closer Oliver and Sara were becoming and the attraction, realizing that that was when their feelings for each other were becoming deeper. Laurel, Quentin and Felicity felt both touched and hurt but could understand the situation, while Diggle, Tommy, Moira and Thea were glad that Oliver still had someone to care about deeply. Roy's respect for Oliver was growing more and more as he watched the recording.

**Anatoly showed up as they turned to pale Ivo, who was leaning onto the wall as Anatoly pulled out some pliers, wanting payback for what Ivo had done to the prisoners. Anatoly offered Oliver to torture Ivo first, while Oliver declined.**

Everyone sighed in relief, not wanting to see Oliver torture someone.

"He's… scaring me." Felicity admitted.

"He's a good man in his core but you don't wanna piss him off." Sara said, remembering the fallout between him and Oliver, when they tried to stop Adrian Chase or when Oliver went with Diggle to Bratva to stop General Walker.

**Ivo begged to offer help as Anatoly intended to pull Ivo's eye out as Ivo suddenly cried out that they could still stop Slade, much to Oliver's and Sara's interest.**

"What?" Roy and Thea asked, confused.

"What did he mean by that?" Laurel wondered as everyone stared, not understanding.

**Oliver listened to Ivo as Ivo said that there was a cure.**

"You… cured Slade?" Felicity asked hopefully.

"No. Not back then. Keep watching." Sara said ominously as everyone looked worried what happened to Slade and how did he lose his eye.

**Anatoly didn't believe Ivo, thinking he was just trying to save his own life. Oliver pulled Anatoly away, much to the Russian's annoyance as Sara knelt near the doctor, wanting to know more as Ivo offered to help as long as she helped him.**

"Like hell after how she "helped" you the first time, you sick bastard." Quentin sneered as everyone glared but Quentin's and Laurel's glares were again the fiercest of them all.

"This time, he really had sincere intentions." Sara said as everyone relaxed, confused now.

**Oliver said that she could not save Ivo anymore, while Ivo replied that he was as good as dead, while he showed the blackened stump where his right hand used to be before he pulled the collar of his shirt as they saw black spots on his body, black veins branching from them.**

"What the hell is that?" Tommy demanded as everyone stared.

"Radiation poisoning." Sara explained. "Anthony was trying to find out if Mirakuru could cure it. Slade wanted to make his death as painful as possible."

"Well, I can't say I feel sorry for him." Roy said and no one disagreed with him.

**Ivo asked for a quick death if he was going to help them, despite that Oliver noted that Ivo did not deserve such mercy.**

"No. He deserves as painful end as possible for what he did." Diggle sneered and again, no one disagreed with the statement.

**Sara turned to Oliver, who said that it was her decision to make, considering that Ivo had looked after her for over a year. Sara and later Ivo nodded as he explained that he was unable to replicate the original Mirakuru serum from the original Japanese World War II research that he discovered but was able to create a solution that could reverse the physiological effects of the Mirakuru, making the superhuman human again.**

"Cure…" Laurel trailed off.

"Why didn't you cure Slade?" Felicity asked before shaking her head. "You know what, never mind, we'll see."

Everyone snickered.

**Sara promised they'd kill Ivo as he handed them a key and told them that the cure was in a safe in Ivo's quarters as he asked for Oliver and Sara to hold up their end of their deal. Sara approached the gun on a crate and picked it up, aiming it at Ivo as her hand shook.**

"Sara…" Laurel whispered.

"Baby…" Quentin said softly, as no one was sure whether they wanted to see Sara murder someone.

**Oliver gently put his hand on Sara's as he took her gun as Ivo sighed. Ivo tried to explain he was a good person before his obsession with Mirakuru drove him mad but his speech was cut off, when Oliver shot Ivo twice in the chest and the doctor tilted his head as the light left his eyes. Sara told Oliver that he did not have to do that for her, while Oliver turned to her and pointed out that killing someone changes people forever and he did not want that for her as Sara thank him for that.**

Everyone felt touched that Oliver had been looking after Sara but Tommy, Moira, Thea, Quentin and Laurel felt great pride over Oliver's growth of character and how he looked after her.

"No matter what, he'd always try to make sure I wasn't deep in the darkness. Even though, it didn't always work out the way he'd like to." Sara explained.

"You know what, I know I've said it before but I take back and apologize for everything bad I've said and done to you both…" Quentin turned towards Moira and Thea. "…and Oliver since the Gambit. He may have been a cheating son of a…" He cleared his throat as Tommy, Moira and Thea glared. "A cheating jerk before but after the Gambit, he became a man that I'm sure I can be proud of. The man, who'd always look out for my little girls." He looked at Laurel and Sara, smiling as everyone smiled at him too.

"He really was." Sara nodded.

"Yeah." Laurel said as everyone's pride and respect for Oliver grew.

**Anatoly asked Oliver what to do next, while Oliver asked if anyone knew how to pilot a submarine.**

"What? Wasn't that thing busted?" Thea asked as everyone was confused.

"No, it was just stuck. But it wasn't easy to get it moving." Sara said as everyone was intrigued by what would happen next.

"Well, this should be interesting." Roy mused.

**They returned to the submarine, where they found Mirakuru as Anatoly noticed that the sub was from World War II. They noticed the blood as Oliver explained what happened to Slade, while Anatoly pointed out that it was a bad idea to inject Slade with the Mirakuru.**

"Well, it seemed like a good one at the time." Sara said sadly.

"Things like this always do." Diggle nodded.

"How many times did Ollie get stupid ideas that eventually blew up in his face?" Thea wondered.

"Honestly, I lost count." Sara said and everyone was worried how many times did Oliver almost get himself killed in the five years he was gone.

**Anatoly pointed out that he was Russian Navy and he had no idea how to fix the Japanese ship, while Oliver pointed out that it was their only chance to stop Slade, destroy the Mirakuru and leave the island.**

"Again, he has to rely on slim chances." Moira said.

"Guess that happens quite often." Laurel nodded.

"No kidding." Sara nodded.

**Anatoly managed to get the submarine operational as they heard rumbling. Sara wondered what happened as Anatoly realized that they were stuck. He tried to turn the wheel as Oliver suggested that they should use torpedo in the submarine to blast their way out.**

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Oliver…" Moira trailed off in horror.

"Is he crazy or suicidal?" Thea demanded.

"Sometimes I wonder whether it's one and the same with Ollie." Sara chuckled.

**Anatoly picked a tube and put some blueprints on a table before he cursed, realizing they were Kaiten torpedoes.**

"Oh, no." Moira, Diggle, Quentin and Felicity whispered.

"What are Kaiten torpedoes?" Tommy asked.

"Have you ever read about people who would manually sail torpedoes fired from a sub from within the torpedoes, trying to blow up enemy ships?" Diggle asked as Tommy, Laurel, Roy and Thea widened their eyes.

"Kamikaze." Roy realized and Diggle, Moira, Quentin and Felicity nodded.

"Oh, my God…" Laurel whispered.

"I'm guessing at least one of them is gonna die." Thea realized.

**Anatoly explained that someone needed to steer torpedoes from the inside as Oliver wondered how would they escape the explosion, while Anatoly replied that they would not.**

**Peter sighed in frustration before he volunteered to steer the torpedo.**

"Wow. I honestly wasn't sure anyone would step up to basically commit suicide." Felicity said.

"He was as good as dead, anyway. He wanted to make it count." Sara said as they looked confused before they remembered what Slade did to Ivo.

"Oh." Thea gapped as the atmosphere turned solemn.

**Sara pointed out that Peter would die before he lifted his shirt to reveal black spots on his body, just like Ivo had.**

Everyone looked at Peter sadly and in sympathy.

**Peter explained that this was a result of Ivo's experiments as Sara felt remorse for what Ivo had done to him. Peter explained that the essence of heroism was to die, so that others could live and why he might not be saving millions of lives, at least he'd be saving theirs.**

"Indeed it is." Diggle nodded regarding Peter's note about heroism as Moira and Thea wiped their eyes, remembering Robert's death until they heard Sara sobbing and sniffing before they turned around as Sara was wiping her face, trying to get ahold of herself.

"Sara…" Laurel trailed off, worried.

"We can take a break, if you want." Quentin said.

Sara took a few shaky breaths before she got ahold of herself and exhaled deeply before taking a breath as she wiped her wet cheeks. "No. It's… it's fine. Really. I…" She paused, as her breath was shaky.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Felicity asked as everyone was worried about Sara. "If you need a moment, we can…"

"No. I'm fine, really." Sara assured them but she didn't sound very convincing. "It's almost the end, anyway."

Everyone turned to each other, considering.

"O…kay. If you say so…" Tommy said slowly as they turned to the screen again as the recording continued.

**Anatoly opened the torpedo hatch as Oliver and Sara were in the bridge as Oliver handed her a radio, wanting her to stay on the submarine to be safe, while Sara wanted to stay with him. Oliver promised to come back for her when it was over.**

"Well, he did his best to protect you." Laurel pointed out as she and Quentin felt pride for Oliver.

"Sometimes I wish I had listened to him." Sara noted and then the realization hit them all before they groaned.

"Why do you two have to be so goddamn stubborn?" Quentin grumbled as he looked at both his daughters.

"Like a mule." Tommy nodded.

"Huh, I wonder who we got that from." Laurel teased as everyone snickered at Quentin's expense as he dropped his face into his hands in frustration.

"I hate you all." Quentin muttered.

**Oliver approached Peter as they went through the plan, with Oliver admiring Peter's bravery and that Oliver would never have done something like this as he was thinking only about himself, wanting nothing but to use the freighter to go home as he pointed out that he was not a hero and Peter assured him that he was not a hero _yet_.**

"He rarely saw himself as a hero." Sara said. "As much as he wanted to believe the opposite, he didn't think he could save anyone he loved. He may have become a hero to other people later but when it came down to his family and people that he loved… Ollie didn't see himself as someone who could save them."

"That's not true." Tommy said, referring to how many times has Oliver saved Laurel, himself and other people as everyone else nodded.

"That's what you need to convince him that he is, once I send you back." Sara pleaded. "Do it… for all our sakes. Please."

"We will." Quentin promised as everyone nodded.

**Peter entered the torpedo tube as Oliver closed and secured the hatch before entering the bridge. Anatoly assured him that Sara was safe before he fired the torpedo. Oliver looked through the periscope as he saw the torpedo dive underwater and sail towards the freighter as it hit it. The explosion knocked both Oliver and Anatoly down.**

"Well, this should be interesting." Tommy said.

"He was brave." Quentin said as everyone respected Peter's sacrifice.

**Anatoly told Oliver to turn the wheel but he was unable to before Anatoly turned on the engine and helped Oliver get the submarine moving. Oliver grabbed the radio and tried to reach out to Sara before he heard Sara scream in panic.**

"What was that?" Quentin panicked as everyone looked worried.

"Guess." Sara said and everyone paled.

"Oh, no…" Felicity whispered as everyone was worried about what Slade was going to do to Sara.

**Oliver realized that Slade must have taken Sara and Anatoly noticed that _Amazo_  was moving. Oliver realized that they had one torpedo left as he asked Anatoly if he could rig a torpedo to fire into a straight line as Anatoly said he might be able to, while Oliver ordered Anatoly to near the submarine to  _Amazo_ and Oliver then picked his backpack, intending to swim towards  _Amazo_  and he instructed Anatoly to fire at the freighter, if he and Sara would not make it back in an hour.**

"You crazy bastard." Quentin growled, as everyone stared in disbelief. He knew that Oliver was doing his best to help Sara but still, he couldn't help himself but feel angry about Oliver putting his daughter at risk like that.

"It's not the last suicidal idea Ollie had." Sara reminded as everyone looked worried about how many times did Oliver almost get himself killed.

"Well, Mission: Impossible begins now." Tommy quipped.

**Anatoly neared the submarine to _Amazo_  as Oliver patted Anatoly on his shoulder, noting that Anatoly was a good man and Oliver reminded Anatoly to blow up the freighter in an hour if Oliver and Sara did not make it back, while Anatoly said that Oliver and he had become friends for alive and that Anatoly would do anything Oliver needs and promised him to learn speak Russian before Oliver left the submarine.**

"He really was a good man. I'd like to meet him someday." Diggle said.

"Who knows." Sara chuckled as Diggle laughed, looking forward to meeting Anatoly.

"Wait, did he trick me, when he said he was talking with a Russian model over the phone, when he got back?" Tommy wondered, remembering. **[1] ******

********

**Oliver snuck back into the _Amazo_ into the prison area, wearing Shado's hood as he unlocked Sara's cell and she hugged him, both of them relieved. Sara followed Oliver as she wanted to leave and go home before Oliver explained that he needed to help Slade and that he couldn't give up on him.**

********

"He didn't wonder if Slade was too far gone?" Moira asked.

********

"He didn't want to accept it." Sara corrected as everyone felt worried about how did Oliver's confrontation with Slade turn out.

********

**Sara hugged Oliver, begging to go with her but Oliver said that he needed to _try_  to save Slade before they kissed and he ordered Sara to get to the submarine to safety but Sara said she wasn't leaving without him.**

********

"You should've listened to him." Quentin said.

********

"I know." Sara nodded.

********

Laurel and Felicity now saw how much Oliver's and Sara's feelings grew to each other, accepting that they loved each other.

********

**Sara accompanied Oliver to Ivo's empty quarters as Oliver found his bow and quiver. They checked the safe but saw that it had been forced open until Slade and the pirates entered, with Slade holding in his hand a syringe with a blue liquid, presumably the cure for Mirakuru.**

********

"Damn it!" Diggle, Tommy and Quentin cursed as everyone looked in horror, wondering how bad it was going to be next.

********

**In the prison area, Slade injected multiple men with Mirakuru but they all died, much to Slade's disappointment and frustration as Oliver demanded to know what was Slade doing, while Slade said he was advancing the cause of science.**

********

"More like satisfying your own insanity and bloodlust." Diggle sneered as everyone glared at Slade.

********

"I doubt Slade even was a scientist." Felicity said, disgusted.

********

**Oliver tried to reason with Slade again, telling that Oliver blamed himself for Shado's death, while "Shado" told Slade that because of Oliver Slade and Shado were not together. No matter how hard Oliver tried to reach Slade, the hallucination's taunts was stronger than Oliver's pleas.**

********

"He really lost it." Quentin said as everyone was disturbed by the hallucination egging Slade.

********

"The Mirakuru completely drove him insane. No matter how much Ollie tried to reason with him, the serum was stronger than Slade's sanity." Sara said.

********

**Slade was dazed, wondering what to do as he wasn't sure what was real anymore as Oliver pleaded that the madness needed to end, while Shado said that this would end with Slade killing Oliver.**

********

"No!" Everyone exclaimed.

********

**Slade put the syringe down as the scene changed to Anatoly looking at the clock before preparing to fire the torpedo as he turned the key and pressed the button, apologizing to Oliver.**

********

Everyone was worried how bad this was gonna turn out.

********

**Slade put on his balaclava mask as the pirates forced Oliver on his knees as Sara begged Slade to stop. Slade aimed his gun at Oliver as Shado ordered Slade to shoot Oliver, until an explosion at the corner sent them all down on the floor as the freighter began to sink. Oliver grabbed an arrow and killed one of the pirates as he and Sara took cover from the gunfire.**

********

"Come on, get out of there…" Quentin begged as everyone stared, too stunned by what they were seeing, while Sara closed her eyes, reliving the nightmare.

********

**Oliver ordered Sara to run, while she didn't want to leave Oliver. Oliver grabbed the syringes of Mirakuru and Slade ordered Oliver to hand them over before Oliver threw the serum into the fire in the corner, enraging Slade.**

********

"Oh, no." Felicity, Moira and Thea paled.

********

"Bad move." Roy and Tommy said.

********

"As much as I'm glad that he got rid of it, it probably wasn't the best idea to destroy it in front of Slade." Quentin said.

********

"No kidding." Sara nodded, shivering as she was reliving what was about to happen next.

********

**Slade roared, rushing at Oliver, while Oliver barely dodged Slade's punches. Slade kicked Oliver, sending him flying against the bars. Sara tried to get to Oliver but Slade grabbed her and threw her away. Oliver tried to reach to Sara but she was sucked into the darkness as it consumed her, much like when the Gambit went down as Oliver screamed in horror.**

********

Laurel and Quentin closed their eyes, unable to get the image out of their heads as they imagined Sara disappearing again.

********

"That's when you joined the League." Diggle realized and Sara nodded.

********

"One of them found me sometime later and brought me to Nanda Parbat. I was safe later."

********

"Doesn't make watching this any easier." Laurel said.

********

**Oliver got up as Slade taunted him how many times he would watch Sara die.**

********

"You bastard." Quentin snarled as everyone, especially he and Laurel, glared at the screen.

********

**Enraged, both former brothers rushed at each other. They traded blows but Oliver was in a great disadvantage due to Slade's Mirakuru-enhanced strength as Slade knocked Oliver down with a kick to Oliver's chest, taunting that Oliver couldn't kill Slade.**

********

"Everything can be killed." Sara sneered as everyone looked forward to see Oliver beat Slade, while Slade looked away, ashamed.

********

**Oliver threw a punch but Slade blocked before grabbing Oliver by his throat as Oliver choked out before he took off Slade's mask. Oliver punched Slade in his face and attempted to free himself from Slade's grip as he fell to his knees. Slade roared and knocked Oliver down as Oliver faced Slade's balaclava on the floor.**

********

"God, that mask is really pissing me off now." Tommy sneered and no one disagreed with him.

********

**Slade circled Oliver before he sent Oliver flying back with a kick to his chest. Oliver got up as he and Slade roared, rushing at each other before another explosion knocked them both down and debris fell on Slade, pinning him down. To Oliver's surprise, he found the syringe with the cure as he picked it and in another hand he had an arrow.**

********

"Oh, my God…" Felicity hoped. "He could…" Then she stopped, realizing what happened as the atmosphere turned grim

********

**Slade taunted Oliver that even if Oliver would cure him, Slade would keep his promise, ranting that Sara was the first of many Slade would take away from Oliver and that he would go after Laurel, Thea, Moira and unable to take Slade's taunts anymore and having enough of it, Oliver put an arrow into Slade's right eye. Oliver staggered as Slade fell back, seemingly dead as Oliver mourned for his brother for a moment before another explosion followed, knocking Oliver out as _Amazo_ went down.**

********

"Ollie…" Laurel said as everyone was stunned by Oliver being forced to kill his best friend on the island, while Slade sighed, accepting that he had no control over his actions.

********

"He knew he was not gonna win." Sara said. "So he decided to destroy Oliver by haunting him forever."

********

"That's why…" Tommy trailed off, realizing that was the reason Oliver had been distant towards all of them.

********

"I wish we had done more to help him." Thea said.

********

"It's not too late. You can still fix this." Sara assured them.

********

"What happened to Oliver?" Diggle wondered.

********

"Wait a moment. It's the end of the memory." Sara said.

********

**Sometime later, Oliver woke up, noticing he was on bed in some kind of a hotel room, shirtless as he noticed that the room had Asian architecture.**

********

"What the…" Quentin trailed off as everyone looked confused.

********

**Two Asian men in suits entered as Oliver instinctively picked an ashtray as a weapon before one of them handed Oliver a shirt, while the other man showed a gun strapped to his belt as he lifted his jacket.**

********

"Who the hell are these guys?" Felicity wondered.

********

"Wait for it…" Sara said.

********

**The men accompanied Oliver outside, where a dark-skinned young woman with white jacket and black skirt greeted him, introducing herself as Amanda Waller, wanting to discuss many things with Oliver as they entered a car and he looked around before Waller explained that Oliver was in Hong Kong before the screen cut to black.**

********

"Wait, Ollie was with that crazy bitch, who hired Fyers?" Laurel demanded as everyone looked stunned.

********

"Yeah. That's how Year Two ended. And I think we could all use a break now. Get some rest." Sara said. "We can continue tomorrow. I'll explain everything later."

********

"Wait a minute, Hong Kong…" Tommy trailed off. "So he was in Hong Kong!"

********

Sara nodded. "It will all be explained in the next footage but I'm really tired, OK?"

********

"Yeah. I think we could all use some rest and get some sleep." Quentin agreed.

********

"Ray and the rest will show you all where are gonna be your quarters, OK?" Sara said as Ray, Nate and Zari entered, accompanying the viewers.

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Remember when in 1x03 Oliver was talking with a Bratva contact and fooled Tommy into thinking it was a Russian model?
> 
> And Year Two is finished for the viewers. And wow, are they gonna be in for a ride when they see Year Three, right?
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	11. Interlude II - Break 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers find out that Oliver and Sara have a daughter, while finding out the grim future Oliver had to face later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Quentin and Laurel were in their own bedroom, sleeping on bunk beds, while Roy, Moira and Thea were in another bedroom, much to Roy's and Thea's dismay as they could not do any… intimate activities with Moira in the same room, preventing them from such activities and Diggle, Felicity and Tommy shared another bedroom as they all tried to sleep peacefully, which wasn't easy, considering what they have seen so far as they were more worried about what Oliver had been through so far and how worse it could get, alongside with how many people did Oliver have yet to lose in the following three years they were going to watch and how much more suffering he was going to endure.

* * *

Sara was in her bedroom, nearing the crib as she picked the baby girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, soothing her. "Don't worry, sweetie, Mommy's here. It's all going to be fine now."

* * *

Later in the morning, if that even was a thing in the temporal zone, Charlie, Ray and Zari accompanied the viewers into the bathrooms, as they were amazed by the futuristic technology of Waverider and especially Moira, Thea, Felicity and Laurel enjoyed the nice warm shower after the hell they have seen Oliver go through so far, as it seemed to wash away all their dread and concern for Oliver.

* * *

They entered the cantina, trying to get some breakfast as they saw Sara at the table, with a baby girl on a chair as Sara had in her hands a spoon and a bowl of cornflakes.

"Sweetie, open your mouth, OK?" Sara said as the girl giggled before opening her mouth as Sara fed her as she laughed. "That's right, good girl, honey."

They all smiled, as Laurel and Quentin remembered Sara having experience with babysitting but even so, none of them expected Sara to have such good motherhood skills.

"Oh, she's so cute." Felicity said, not helping herself as she, Thea and Laurel neared the girl.

"She's your daughter?" Quentin asked but the look in Sara's eyes told them everything they needed to know.

"Oh." Laurel said, happy for Sara. "Who's the…" Then it hit them.

"She's your and Oliver's, is she?" Moira asked, already having suspicions as Sara nodded.

"Wait. You and Ollie…" Laurel trailed off. At first, she was angry that Oliver and Sara were together mainly because they cheated on Laurel but seeing that they eventually fell in love with each other, made her understand.

"Yeah." Sara nodded. "It was… sometime after I left the League."

"You… got together?" Felicity asked. While she did understand, she felt hurt and jealous that Oliver did not show that kind of affection to her.

"Yeah." Sara said as she smiled. "Both of us had been through… very dark times and… like I said, no matter how deep we might have been, Ollie would always find a way to bring us back to light."

"Can I…" Thea asked, nearing the girl as Sara nodded, while Thea held the girl in her arms, smiling. "Hey, little one. Say " _hi_ " to Aunt Thea."

The girl giggled as everyone laughed softly as Thea, Roy, Moira and Quentin wanted to hold the girl too as Felicity did "Aww.", noting how cute the girl was as they, together with Tommy and Laurel traded places with playing with the girl before Sara put her back on her chair.

"What's her name?" Moira asked.

"Mia." Sara said. "It's…"

"How me and Robert wanted to name you when you were born." Moira remembered as she turned to Thea, who felt touched.

"Few months ago, I would've been pissed but now… I'm happy for you both. Really." Laurel said.

"Me too." Quentin nodded. "Where's Oliver, by the way? I mean, considering what you've been through together and what you've showed and told us about him…"

Sara hesitated and they noticed the look in her eyes before it hit them as the atmosphere turned cold and solemn.

"Oh." Felicity said. "God, I… Sara, I'm so sorry."

"What… how…" Tommy was unable to form words, wondering how did his best friend die as Sara exhaled deeply.

Sara sighed as they noticed she was holding back tears. "It… it… happened years later from your time and few months ago from mine. Something…" She took a breath as they saw she was reliving the pain. "Something terrible, a threat you can't even imagine, occurred, that threatened the whole world. The entire multiverse."

"Multiverse?" Felicity repeated. "Wait, you're saying that the theory about parallel dimensions, parallel Earths…"

"Is real." Sara nodded.

"What?" Everyone else turned to Felicity, confused.

"Well, you know the theories about multiple Earths like… an Earth, where Nazis won World War II or JFK was never assassinated or Earth where they never invented telephone and stuff like that? Multiple dimensions, multiple possibilities?" Felicity asked as they all nodded.

"I… guess, yeah." Tommy admitted.

"Yeah, that theory, not so much a theory." Sara said dryly.

"Wait, seriously?" Diggle asked. While he was getting used to time travel, parallel dimensions with different realities was a different pill to swallow.

Sara nodded. "A horrible crisis happened, threatening to destroy all those realities. Monitor, a very powerful being, wanted to "save" all those Earths and billions of people died, from all those Earths. You can't even imagine the horror that was happening, what we had to face, what we had to sacrifice." She said grimly, reliving the pain. "And Ollie had to…" She sighed deeply. "He had to leave me and my child to save us all. He… he gave up his life, so that we all could live. One life for billions. I didn't want him to leave me and Mia but..." Her breaths were getting shaky as everyone saw the pain on her face.

"My God." Tommy said, unable to imagine it.

"Ollie…" Thea trailed off, none of them being able to imagine what he and Sara had to go through.

"Why… why Oliver? Why he?" Moira asked, trying to understand.

"It was supposed to be someone else." Sara admitted. "Believe me, you all and me asked ourselves that too, why it had to be Ollie of all people but the truth is… it was supposed to be two different people. But Ollie did not want to let either of them die because they were too good people. So that's why he took their place."

"Are you… gonna show us?" Felicity asked, not sure though if she wanted to see this crisis Sara was talking about.

"You really don't want to see it." Sara warned and it was all they needed to know. "But he died because… he wanted to give his life up to save others. Like how Peter did." She lowered her head, sniffing as everyone was silent, mourning for the loss of Oliver, even though it has not happened yet, from their perspective.

"Hey." Quentin knelt down and held Sara's hand. "Honey. Look at me. Look at me."

Sara raised her head and looked at Quentin hesitantly. "It hasn't happened yet. From our time. I promise you, no matter what, we'll all look after you. After you and Oliver. I promise. We'll do our best to save you both."

"Yeah." Felicity said as they all nodded in agreement.

"If we can help it, we'll stand by you." Laurel said as Sara smiled, seeming assured.

They all sat down, eating breakfast as they turned their attention to Sara's daughter as she started to tell various stories about Oliver and Sara raising Mia before they ate breakfast before they'd start watching the third year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure how to describe Crisis on Infinite Earths, since to be honest, I myself had a bit of a hard time following at some moments, when reading the comic book. And honestly, Oliver dying makes the whole show and his crusade and sacrifice pointless, considering that Star City became a hellhole in the future.
> 
> The moment with Sara and Mia and the others, I drew inspiration from when my niece was born and when I first met her.
> 
> Hope the family moment was fine here.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	12. Extreme measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see how did Oliver begin to work for Waller and how his relationship with the Yamashiros began, alongside with Oliver struggling with his convictions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"Is Slade going to join us?" Felicity wondered as they entered the viewing room again, while Sara left Mia with Ray and Zari.

"No. He was here only to make you understand the man he had become." Sara said. "I dropped him back right when I found him."

"What… happened to Slade after  _Amazo_?" Quentin inquired and Sara sighed.

"As you have noticed, he survived the arrow in his eye because of the Mirakuru." Sara said. "A.S.I.S. found him near Philippine coasts and recovered him. He then reunited with his son."

"He… was back home with his son?" Moira asked as everyone was genuinely curious.

Sara nodded, knowing that it was better if it wasn't Slade telling them since it was giving him bad memories. "The Mirakuru did fade off for a while and Slade tried to move on. He became a trainer for the new recruits but when he found out that Ollie had been found, the Mirakuru in his system woke up and he slaughtered numerous agents, his son being the only survivor and he tried to keep his promise."

"Oh, my God…" Moira said softly as everyone was both worried about Slade's mentality and afraid of what Slade was going to do to them.

"He took everything from Ollie. Queen Consolidated, your home…" Sara told Moira and Thea. "And he killed hundreds of innocents and…" She paused, not sure whether to say it.

Moira and Thea paled, realizing what Slade had done as they remembered how he looked at Moira. "He killed me, did he?" Moira realized as Thea instinctively held her mother and everyone looked shocked, while Sara nodded.

"What?" Laurel and Felicity gapped.

"There are a lot of horrible things Slade did to Ollie later that he then regretted." Sara explained.

"Why on Earth did Ollie let him live after that?" Tommy demanded before Sara gave him a look before it hit him. "Oh."

Sara nodded. "You accusing Ollie of being a murderer was one of the reasons Ollie spared him. And… I think a part of him needed to believe that the Slade he knew, was deep in there after Ollie had… " _killed_ " him."

"Maybe I should change his mind." Tommy considered.

"Look, I get why some of you might be against Ollie killing." She turned to Quentin, Felicity and Tommy. "But at one point, Ollie vowed never to take a life again. And there was someone, who Ollie could have stopped if he hadn't held back and he also killed someone else that Ollie cared about. Ollie chose to put him in prison but he escaped and killed her."

" _Her_?" Laurel repeated.

"Who?" Felicity asked as Sara sighed, masking her feelings.

"I… I don't want to talk about it. All I'm telling you is that Ollie may be a killer but he never killed anyone unless he really had to. And you convincing him not to kill, cost him many people he cared about." Sara said as everyone considered. Why they still didn't like Oliver killing, they knew he didn't kill anyone unless he had no other choice left and if it meant saving lives of people Oliver cared about… well… they could understand that, still, especially for Tommy and Felicity it did not make knowing that Oliver would kill, any easier. "There was a time, when someone managed to convince Ollie he was nothing but a monster that enjoyed killing and destroyed everything he touched."

"That's bull." Quentin said. While he knew Oliver was a murderer, if he really did enjoy killing, his kill count would have been up to three digits at this point.

"That's what you need to show him. That he's not a murderer, that's he's a hero, doing whatever it takes to save lives, even if it means taking lives of others." Sara said.

"We will." Laurel promised as they sat at the couch before Sara took a breath.

"Before I turn it on, you need to know… there are some things that… Ollie did that he wasn't proud of. Some of you might condemn him and judge him but you need to know that he had no other choice left." Sara said. "And… well, I don't want to make any of you feel guilty but… well, you'll need to see to understand."

They looked confused but were expecting that Sara was going to explain later.

"Turn it on." Quentin said.

**In the streets of Hong Kong, Oliver was running as he grabbed a phone from one of the people passing by and tried to dial a number before a gunshot rang out, shooting the phone off his hand as an Asian man with thin beard and black hair tied to a bun, wearing a suit neared Oliver, with a gun.**

"What the hell?!" Thea demanded as everyone looked stunned.

"Meet Maseo Yamashiro." Sara said. "Ollie's… handler."

**Oliver kept on running as Maseo followed him, jumping over tables and knocking down civilians in the process until he entered an Internet café. He knocked away one of the people at the computer before he frantically looked over his shoulder, to be sure he was safe before Oliver logged into his email account, trying to write a message to Moira that he was alive and in Hong Kong.**

"Oliver…" Moira said, hoping Oliver could reach out.

Tommy narrowed his eyes and then it hit him. He then started to wonder if he could have saved Oliver from that mess back then.

**Maseo shot off the monitor as people screamed in panic and Oliver ducked. Oliver faced Maseo as Oliver tried to block Maseo's punches but Maseo was more skilled than Oliver as he did a roundhouse kick to Oliver's face, knocking him down before Maseo said something in Chinese, to which Oliver said, frustrated that he did not understand.**

"Wow." Tommy said. "I didn't think he'd be able to kick Oliver's ass so easily."

"He had years of training. Ollie just months." Sara explained.

"Didn't Shado teach him Chinese?" Felicity asked, confused.  **[1]**

"I guess not enough." Sara shrugged.

**Maseo replied that he had told Oliver that Maseo would beat him senseless, if Oliver attempted to escape again before he knocked Oliver out.**

"Ow." Thea said as she, Laurel, Felicity, Roy and Tommy tensed, while Quentin and Moira looked worried.

"That guy might be even bigger hard-ass than Slade." Felicity noted.

"Not really. He was just doing what he thought he had to." Sara said as everyone looked confused. "Keep watching."

Quentin turned to Sara as he narrowed his eyes, knowing the look in her eyes. "Wait, do you know this guy?"

"Yeah but… I didn't meet him or Ollie in Hong Kong, that's an entirely different story and now's not the time to talk about it." Sara said.

They all nodded before turning their attention to the screen again.

**Later, in a construction site, Oliver was on a chair, sitting as Waller entered, as she and Oliver said that Oliver has made nine escape attempts in the past five months.**

"Nine in five months?" Laurel repeated.

"Why would she keep Ollie a prisoner?!" Thea demanded, outraged.

"If she thinks someone has a set of skills she finds useful, she'll want to take them. Whether they want to work for her or not and she'll do whatever she can to make them, even if it means killing them and everyone they care about, if they won't comply." Sara summed up, glaring at Waller as they noticed the look in her eyes.

Everyone's blood boiled at Waller's amoral nature as they glared at the woman hatefully.

"Why would Lyla work for her?" Diggle said, frustrated and disturbed.

"Who?" Roy asked as those, who did not know Diggle that well, turned to him in confusion.

"Lyla Michaels, John's ex-wife. Currently works for A.R.G.U.S." Felicity said.

"Lyla's a good person and someone needs to keep Waller in check." Sara explained as Diggle sighed and chuckled. It certainly sounded like Lyla.

**Oliver told Waller to go to hell, while she said she needed Oliver's skills. Oliver told her that the only thing he cared about, was going home and that he would never stop trying to escape, while Waller said coldly that it is very easy to kill someone, who the world believes to be dead already.**

"God, I hate that bitch already." Thea sneered as everyone glared at Waller.

"She has that kind of effect, when you first meet her." Sara said.

"You were right, she and my Dad would be BFFs." Tommy said, disgusted at the thought.

**Oliver then shrugged, wanting Waller to kill him already, since he did not care.**

"Ollie…" Laurel whispered, none of them expecting him to have a death wish back then.

"That's what happens, when you feel like you have nothing left to lose." Diggle said as Sara nodded.

**Waller said that they were going to do this another way before turning to Maseo, who nodded. Waller left as Maseo hit Oliver, knocking him out.**

"How many times is he gonna beat the crap out of Oliver?" Roy asked as everyone tensed.

"Don't worry, this was the last time." Sara assured them as they relaxed. "But… well, you're not gonna like seeing what happens next."

Everyone paled, worried how much worse this could be for Oliver.

**When Oliver woke up, he was in a bedroom, where next to him was an Asian woman, who spoke in Japanese as he tried to get up from the bed. The woman tended to Oliver's bruises as Oliver groaned, saying that he didn't speak Chinese, while the woman corrected that she was speaking Japanese.**

"Tatsu…" Sara chuckled.

"You know her, too?" Quentin asked.

"Maseo's wife." Sara nodded. "I met her once. She's a… bit hard to get along with at first, since she doesn't like strangers but when she softens around you, she's very good person."

"I'm guessing they got off on the wrong foot at first." Tommy said as Sara nodded.

"It took a while before they found common ground."

**Oliver was surprised that Tatsu spoke English, while Tatsu said that her English was better than Oliver's Chinese. Oliver wondered where he was, while Tatsu said that he was in the Yamashiro's home. To Oliver's surprise, as he entered the kitchen, Maseo politely greeted him, offering him a bowl of ramen as a dinner.**

"What…" Thea said, as everyone was confused by Maseo's change in his demeanor.

"Like Waller said, let's try this another way." Sara explained.

**Oliver looked around the apartment, wondering how to get out, while Maseo said that Oliver couldn't, that Maseo would stop him.**

"He didn't escape or reach out, no matter how hard he tried." Sara said before any of the viewers would get a chance to ask, much to their disappointment.

**Oliver stopped at the door as he faced Maseo. Maseo explained that Oliver would work for her either way, while Oliver said that he'd rather die.**

Everyone smiled, impressed by Oliver's bravery.

**Maseo said that Waller was motivating him to be responsible for Oliver as he called out as a young boy named Akio appeared behind him in the living room, while he explained that Waller was threatening to have his family kill if Maseo let Oliver go.**

"That bitch!" Quentin snarled as everyone glared, their blood boiling but once again, he and Moira in particular felt the greatest anger, due to someone using someone else's child as a leverage, such as when Malcolm leveraged Moira or when Cyrus Vanch threatened Quentin.

"That's why Ollie wouldn't leave." Sara explained. "If he had escaped, Tatsu and Akio would've been killed and that wasn't something Ollie wanted to have on his conscience."

"My God…" Felicity whispered as she, Thea, Roy, Tommy and Laurel were horrified, while Quentin and Moira were angry, glaring. Threatening an innocent family was just wrong.

"How the hell is someone like Waller a director of a governmental agency?" Diggle wondered.

"Haven't you learned, Dig? Some people have in their hands so much power that they shouldn't have." Sara reminded and Diggle was silent.

**Maseo explained to Oliver that Maseo's father used to say a proverb. " _A man cannot live by two names._ " Oliver was confused by what Maseo was saying as Maseo said that in Oliver's case, he probably wasn't going to have another choice.**

"No. He wasn't." Sara said.

"Oliver… why did this have to happen to you?" Moira wondered. Everyone was hoping that Oliver would make it back home alive and safe and they didn't want him to go through more horrible things, forcing to do things he never would have done under any other circumstances.

**Later, on a rooftop somewhere in Hong Kong, Oliver, wearing a beige jacket and jeans and a black cap, followed Maseo, who put a case on a vent as Oliver wondered, who was Maseo's target.**

"Oliver's first assignment?" Diggle wondered and Sara nodded.

"What is he gonna do?" Felicity asked.

Tommy narrowed his eyes, the area of Hong Kong seemed familiar… until his eyes lit up in realization.  _No. No way. It can't be…_

**Maseo put together a sniper rifle, correcting that it was Oliver's target, much to Oliver's confusion as Maseo explained that Waller did not have a sense of humor.**

"Or honor or moral code." Sara sneered as everyone grew more and more hateful towards Waller as Tommy shivered, chill sent down his spine as he recognized the area Oliver and Maseo were in.

**Oliver grumbled that he had no intention of being a hitman, while Maseo corrected that Oliver was going to be an operative for Waller and that she needed Oliver, if she threatened Maseo's family to ensure the Asian's compliance.**

"Why on Earth did it have to be you two?" Quentin muttered in frustration, referring to Oliver and Sara and what they had been through.

**Maseo handed Oliver the rifle as he took up a sniping position, as Maseo ordered him to aim at his target.**

"Tommy? You OK?" Laurel asked, noticing how Tommy's face was losing color as his face was wet with cold sweat.

"That target is me…" Tommy realized.

"What?!" Laurel, Thea, Felicity and Roy exclaimed as everyone turned to him with widened eyes.

"Look." Moira said as everyone turned to the screen again.

**The hotel service was taking the briefcases of the man as he turned around. Oliver was about to pull the trigger… until he saw the face of his best friend, much to Oliver's shock.**

"What the fuck?! Waller wanted Ollie to assassinate you?!" Thea demanded, horrified. And it was… quite messed up. One half-brother killing the other.

"Do you honestly believe Ollie would really kill Tommy?" Sara assured them as they all relaxed, although the viewers had to wonder how did Oliver sort this problem out.

"What kind of messed up woman did Oliver and your ex work with?" Felicity demanded as she turned to Diggle.

"I seriously need to talk with Lyla about working with Waller." Diggle nodded.

**Oliver put the rifle down as Maseo said that Oliver was supposed to eliminate his target.**

"I'm his best friend, not a target!" Tommy said, outraged as everyone glared at the screen.

**Oliver protested and demanded to know why did Waller want him to kill his best friend, wanting to know if this was a test. Maseo nodded, saying that Oliver failed his test. Maseo explained that Tommy was looking for him, much to Oliver's confusion.**

"I had been monitoring Oliver's email and bank accounts, looking for any clues that would have given just a slightest hint of Oliver's survival." Tommy said, frustrated. "God, if I had known…"

"Who could've expected this?" Laurel assured him.

**Maseo explained that Oliver logging into his email account set off an alert, which prompted Tommy to go to Hong Kong and Waller couldn't afford for Oliver to be compromised by someone asking questions about him and that Tommy was a problem that needed to be eliminated.**

"What, by killing me?" Tommy snapped. "If he had just told me I was putting him at risk, I would've walked away and pretended this never happened."

"If this was an option, Ollie would've asked you to leave." Sara said.

"How much of a bitch that Waller woman is?" Quentin inquired.

"Oh, you can't even imagine." Sara snorted as everyone groaned, wondering how much bad this was going to be for Oliver.

**Later, Oliver attempted to suggest to find a body looking like Tommy in a local morgue, while Maseo scoffed that this was unlikely to happen in a Hong Kong morgue.**

"Haha." Tommy said sarcastically as Thea and Roy snickered, Laurel and Felicity chuckled and Moira, Diggle and Quentin shook their heads at how unbelievable Oliver's idea was.

"Well, nice try." Felicity shrugged.

"Well, he rarely had any bright ideas." Laurel nodded.

**Oliver protested he was not going to kill Tommy, desperately looking for another way until Maseo pointed out that someone else was going to kill his best friend.**

Everyone glared as their blood boiled.

"And it's not even the surface of what Waller was willing to do to get her way, no matter how evil or immoral her methods were." Sara said.

**Back in Tommy's apartment, he was talking with Malcolm over the phone, explaining that he was already in Hong Kong, much to Malcolm's frustration.**

"He didn't like you making him angry." Laurel noted as Tommy glowered, remembering Malcolm cutting him off his trust fund.

**As he entered the apartment, Tommy told Malcolm off as he hung up.**

"Wow. I almost forgot what an ass your Dad is. And I mean  _before_  we found out the truth." Laurel said.

"No kidding." Tommy grumbled as he, Thea, Quentin, Laurel and Moira glowered.

**Suddenly, someone snuck up on Tommy from behind, jamming a syringe into his neck and holding a hand to his mouth as Tommy passed out.**

Everyone, save for Tommy, tensed.

"Tommy…" Thea said, worried.

"I made it out alive. I was lucky, don't worry." Tommy assured them, to their relief.

Moira, Diggle and Felicity narrowed their eyes, this seemed… quite familiar.

**When Tommy came to, he was in an unknown area, restrained to a chair as a man in black pulled a bag off Tommy's head as Tommy grunted, groaning as bright lights blinded him, wanting to know where he was.**

"Oh…" Moira, Diggle and Felicity said, realizing what was going on.

"What?" Everyone else turned to them in confusion.

"You'll see." Diggle beat Sara to it as he gave her a smile as she smiled back.

Tommy in particular wondered, why they were so calm, this was… a hell for Tommy back then.

**Behind Tommy was pacing a man in black outfit, with black hood and a mask covering his mouth. Tommy begged for his kidnapper to let him go as the kidnapper said in deep voice that Tommy was a prize he could not let go. Tommy threatened to use his connections to his father against his abductor.**

"If you haven't learned from what happened with Ollie and Fyers, this was not gonna work." Laurel noted.

"I know." Tommy sighed.

**The abductor acknowledged he knew who Tommy was and that Tommy was searching for Oliver, much to Tommy's surprise, wondering how did the abductor know. The abductor explained that he had hacked into Oliver's email account, knowing someone would be looking for Oliver but he had expected it to be Moira or Thea. Tommy shivered in fear, getting paler as the abductor said that Tommy was going to make him a very rich man, while Tommy realized that Oliver never made it out.**

Tommy sighed as everyone felt bad for him and turned to him in sympathy as Tommy was reliving the horror. His hope of his best friend being alive gone like that… Laurel held his hand, assuring him as Tommy relaxed.

**The man lowered his mask, revealing Oliver's face.**

"What?" Thea said, confused.

"Ha. Thought so." Diggle said.

"That's how you…" Felicity was quiet as she glanced towards Diggle and Moira, who nodded, referring to how they tricked Moira into telling them everything about the Undertaking and she herself had to wonder once again how did Oliver and Diggle fool her.

**Oliver, in much lower and deeper voice said, that he was dead and rotting at the bottom of the sea, much to Tommy's disappointment and sadness.**

"I can't even imagine how hard it has to be for him." Roy said. "Lying to you like that…"

"He was just trying to protect you." Diggle explained.

"I hope you're not angry at him." Laurel said.

"I'm not. Honestly, I'm not angry. I just wish he had told me to simply stay away and leave him behind and not scare the hell out of me. I wish he didn't have to do this. I would've listened." Tommy sighed.

**Oliver put a finger to Tommy's shoulder as Tommy tried to hold back tears before they heard sirens blare and Maseo shout that it was Hong Kong police. Tommy screamed for help as Oliver walked away. Maseo, in a police uniform, entered and nodded at Oliver, who was hiding in a corner and trying to hold back tears, from having to hurt his best friend like that and force him to leave as Maseo freed Tommy.**

"Why did she have to force him to do things like that?" Moira asked, partly enraged and partly hurt from what Oliver had been through.

"She never cares about others, to her, the end justifies any means." Sara said.

**Later, Oliver followed an elderly man into a marketplace as the man was buying an ice cream. Oliver noted that the man did not look like a terrorist.**

"Men like him rarely do." Diggle said.

**Maseo noted that the best terrorists don't look like terrorists.**

Everyone snickered as Diggle chuckled.

**Oliver wondered why did Waller want Oliver to kill the man, while Maseo said that he should follow orders without question, while Oliver protested that he was not going to blindly follow Waller's orders like a puppet but Maseo said that Oliver had to.**

"He didn't really have a choice." Sara said. "He was forced into a war he did not want to be a part of. The island may have changed him but it was in Hong Kong, when he was slowly becoming the weapon you've seen and heard about."

Everyone was worried about what was going to happen to Oliver next but they didn't want to see him become an assassin.

**Oliver followed the man through the marketplace as he was eating ice cream as Oliver discreetly pulled out a knife. Oliver pushed the man deeper into a shop, hiding among the clothes hanging before Oliver stabbed the man in the chest as he fell down, dead. Oliver felt disgust over what he did until he picked from the ground the keys that had fallen off the man that Oliver just killed.**

"Ollie…" Thea whispered, all of them stunned and horrified that Oliver was forced to kill a man, without knowing why.

"Sometimes, we have to blindly follow orders, if it means protecting others and hurting people we don't know." Diggle said.

"But… did he have to kill him?" Felicity wondered. "I mean, what did he do that…"

"Honestly, he wasn't a saint but I'm not sure he deserved to die either." Sara said.

**Oliver later returned back to Yamashiro's home as Maseo was cutting carrots. Oliver noted that Tatsu did not like him, while Maseo corrected that she _hated_  Oliver.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Oliver grumbled that neither himself or Tatsu were happier about him staying with the Yamashiros, while wondering why did he kill a man without knowing the reason, as Maseo told him that sometimes it was better that way.**

"Sometimes you can't ask too many questions." Diggle nodded.

"Still, that doesn't mean he can't wonder." Roy pointed out.

"Well, there's no simple solution to that, Roy." Diggle said as everyone looked sad, wondering how many difficult decisions did Oliver have to make.

"Ollie never was without a conscience or remorse." Sara said. "That's what you need to know."

Felicity, Moira, Thea, Tommy, Laurel and Quentin again felt guilty about how they had been treating and judging Oliver before realizing the true depth of what he must have been through.

**Oliver said that blindly following orders was no better as Maseo corrected that he himself was focused on protecting his family and that Oliver shouldn't question the choices he'd have to make.**

"There's nothing one would not do to protect people closest to them." Sara said and Moira winced, at what she was forced to do because of the Undertaking as Sara remembered when Quentin and Oliver were leveraged by Damien Darhk and Quentin tensed at when Vanch kidnapped Laurel.

**Oliver said that having a conscience was not a burden as he turned to Akio, who was sitting on his bed, with a laptop.**

"Oh. I remember Oliver liked to play with kids." Moira said.

"Yeah." Laurel, Thea and Tommy nodded.

**Oliver had in his hand a flash drive as he considered…**

"Oh, no, he didn't…" Felicity said with a mischievous smile.

"I think he did." Quentin said. He himself would've probably done the same thing.

**Oliver approached Akio, wanting to know what was the boy doing and Akio said the was playing a reading game. Oliver asked if he could borrow the laptop, while Akio protested that Maseo told him _not_  to let Oliver use Akio's computer. Oliver attempted to negotiate for candies that Maseo and Tatsu kept on a fridge, offering to give Akio two pieces, while Akio said that he would accept five, much to Oliver's annoyance as he gave into the boy's terms.**

Everyone laughed in amusement.

"That kid is a rascal." Tommy said.

"Oh, do you remember when you and Ollie tried to convince me to help you get the keys from my Dad, when they impounded Ollie's first car? I think it was a Bentley." Laurel laughed as Quentin glowered, Moira shook her head in amusement and Thea giggled as everyone else smiled, amused.

"I wish you had stuck to these shenanigans than what you did with Gambit." Quentin muttered as everyone again laughed at Quentin's expense.

**Akio handed Oliver the laptop as he plugged in the flash drive and Oliver's eyes lit up in realization as he went over the contents until he told Maseo that Oliver needed to meet Waller. Maseo was confused until he realized that Akio let Oliver use the computer. Akio ran off as Oliver took the blame, wanting to meet with Waller as he explained that the reason was Ferris Air 637.**

"Wait. Ferris Air…" Felicity's eyes widened. "Wait, isn't that…"

"The plane that Waller wanted Fyers to blow up." Sara nodded. "The man that Ollie killed, was Fyers's handler."

"Well, this should be interesting." Quentin said.

**Later, Oliver met Waller in the construction site again, much to Waller's annoyance as she wanted to know why did Oliver force her to fly over Pacific to meet him as Oliver quickly cut to the chase, mentioning Ferris Air 637 as Waller nodded, knowing what Oliver was talking about as Oliver realized that she had been watching him as she nodded, mentioning _Amazo_ , impressed.**

"She was spying on him…" Laurel realized.

"Like I said, if she deems someone useful, she'll want them to work for her, either willingly of against their own will." Sara said as everyone again glared at Waller.

**Waller was about to leave as Oliver mentioned that the man she had Oliver killed, was Fyers's handler, working for Waller. Waller warned Oliver to _not_  look deeper as he was getting himself in over his head and Oliver realized that she had the man killed because he was going to blow the whistle on Fyers' operation.**

**Waller taunted that no one would believe him, since the world believed Oliver to be dead. Oliver threatened to leak the information on the flash drive on the internet if something had happened to the Yamashiros and that Waller would be forced to stand in front of a Senate subcommittee.**

"Ollie…" Laurel said, all of them impressed by and proud of Oliver's conviction, loyalty and dedication.

**Waller said coldly that it was not going be that simple and that Fyers believed he was destabilizing Chinese economy, while Waller wanted him to take out one person, much to Oliver's disgust.**

"Killing dozens, maybe hundreds of innocents, just to eliminate one person?" Quentin demanded incredulously.

"She's crazier than I thought." Tommy said.

"Like I said, this was nothing." Sara said.

"Who did she want dead?" Roy wondered.

"Wait." Sara said.

**Waller pulled out a phone and showed a photo of an Asian woman with stark white long hair. Chien Na Wei, also known as China White.**

"Oh, my God…" Laurel paled, recognizing her as the woman, who tried to kill her in her apartment, when Laurel was trying to take down Martin Sommers.

"Are you kidding me? Oliver has met that bitch before?" Felicity demanded as she and Diggle recognized her as well.

Moira paled, recognizing her as the woman that Frank Chen hired to kill Malcolm, per Moira's request, thinking how lucky she was that White did not go after her.

"Did she… know Ollie was the Hood?" Tommy asked, recognizing the woman as one of the assassins, who tried to kill his father. Knowing then what he knew now, he gladly would have served Malcolm up on a golden platter.

"If she did, I wonder why she never used that against him." Sara shrugged. **[2]**

"Wait, how did she even know White was going to be on that plane if they were preparing the operation for two years?" Diggle wondered.

"Good question." Sara said.  **[3]**

**Waller explained that Oliver unknowingly saved her life by stopping Fyers and now that she was in Hong Kong, it was Oliver's mission to find out why.**

"Did Oliver find out and stop her?" Roy asked.

"Keep watching." Sara said.

**Later, in the middle of the day, Oliver and Maseo were on a stakeout in the marketplace, much to Oliver's annoyance, while Maseo said that Oliver needed to be patient as Oliver wondered how was the man they were going to find, going to help them find out White's plans in Hong Kong.**

**Maseo explained that they needed to intercept their courier and Maseo assured him that they were not going to kill the courier, which did anything but assure Oliver. Maseo explained that they needed to find to find a dead drop, information that the courier would leave for White before Oliver spotted the courier, putting a white envelope into his jacket.**

**Oliver followed the courier until suddenly, around the corner, the courier kicked him in the face as Oliver fell down.**

"Damn!" Roy tensed as everyone gapped.

"He wasn't very good at following back then." Sara shrugged.

**The courier started to run as Oliver chased him. The courier threw at Oliver's way some baskets and kept on running, until on a road, Maseo in a car sent him to the ground as he checked the courier's pockets, wondering where was the envelope as he asked Oliver where did the courier stash it, while Oliver snapped that he did not see the courier stash anything, while Maseo said that he did, without knowing.**

"What?" Thea asked, while everyone was confused.

"Sometimes, we see things without even noticing it and we need to refresh our memory." Sara explained.

**Back in the Yamashiro's house, Oliver was curled to the corner as Akio kept on asking what was Oliver doing. Oliver seemed annoyed until Akio offered Oliver to come closer. Akio played with some cubes as he flipped them over, revealing some symbols.**

"Match pairs." Felicity realized. "I love that game."

"What is he doing?" Laurel wondered.

**Oliver tried playing with Akio as Akio assured Oliver that his memory was fine.**

**In the kitchen, Maseo pleaded with Tatsu that Oliver needed her help, while Tatsu corrected that Maseo needed her help as she noted that Oliver would bring nothing but trouble.**

"Why is she…"

"She's just worried about her family." Moira interrupted Thea. "She doesn't trust strangers."

"I can't say I blame her." Quentin nodded.

**Maseo begged Tatsu for help, that stopping China White was worth it and that after that, their family would be safe, while Tatsu just wanted to get their family back home. Maseo assured her that he loved her before Tatsu gave in, ordering Akio to leave her and Oliver alone. Akio left as Tatsu said that while she would take care of Oliver, her son was off-limits.**

"Come on…" Tommy grumbled.

"It's not like he would want to put Akio into trouble." Felicity protested.

"She's just worried that Oliver's gonna put the boy in danger." Moira pointed out.

"We get that but… how long before she comes around?" Laurel wondered.

"Not too long." Sara promised as they looked forward to see Oliver and Tatsu find common ground.

**Oliver grumbled, understanding as Tatsu ordered him to stay, while Oliver was about to leave. Oliver sat down as Tatsu picked a candle and a bowl from a closet as she told Oliver to follow her instructions.**

"What is she doing?" Roy asked. "Is this some kind of meditation voodoo?"

"That's one way to put it." Sara nodded.

**Tatsu explained that Oliver saw more than he had thought and that it was deep in his subconsciousness. She ordered Oliver to close his eyes and focus, take a deep breath and exhale, just as Tatsu instructed. Oliver's mind went back to when he saw the courier die as he tried to focus until he saw that the courier had hidden the envelope among the baskets that he had thrown in Oliver's way while running. Oliver's mind returned back to the present as he remembered.**

Everyone seemed impressed.

"Interesting." Diggle noted. "Maybe Oliver could teach me that."

"Who knows." Sara shrugged.

**Oliver and Maseo returned back to where Oliver saw the courier hide the envelope as Oliver found it and opened it to reveal a picture of mountains.**

"What?" Roy asked as everyone looked confused. "That's… a little anticlimactic."

"Wait for it." Tommy beat Sara to it as everyone snickered, suspecting that there was more to it than it seemed.

**Back in the Yamashiro's apartment, Maseo scanned the picture, asking Oliver if he had heard of steganography, while Oliver wondered whether Maseo was talking about Stegosaur.**

Felicity, Laurel and Quentin burst out laughing at Oliver embarrassing himself again as Sara smiled, shaking her head.

"OK, I know it's not a dinosaur but what is this steganography?" Thea asked, also amused as she, Roy, Moira, Diggle and Tommy chuckled.

"Basically, it's a message hidden in a plain sight within another message." Quentin explained.

"Something like the List?" Roy asked.

"Not exactly." Sara said.

**Maseo shot Oliver a glare due to Oliver's stupidity before he explained what steganography was. The computer showed that in the picture was hidden a message "CONTACT LI KUAN HUI". Oliver and Maseo realized that they needed to find him, if China White was after him. Oliver turned to Tatsu and thanked her for what she did for him but Tatsu said coldly that she wanted him to leave her family as soon as possible, glaring at Oliver.**

"Wow. She's… scaring me." Felicity said.

"Yeah, one thing you never want to do, is to piss Tatsu off. You're about to see in a moment." Sara said as everyone was a little worried about what was going to happen next.

**Sometime later, Tatsu handed Oliver a basket of dirty clothes, explaining that she wasn't either Oliver's wife, mother or maid, implying that he was going to wash his clothes himself.**

"Well, maybe I should've given Oliver more tough love before the Gambit." Moira said.

"I agree. Maybe we should've taught him to be more practical and responsible earlier." Laurel nodded as Tommy considered, when Laurel and Malcolm, despite his sadistic nature, said that they were proud of how Tommy had matured, when Malcolm froze his assets.

**Oliver grumbled, expecting that he and Tatsu have already found some common ground but Tatsu said coldly that it was a one-time deal. Oliver admitted hesitantly that he had no idea how to clean his laundry.**

"Oh, my…" Felicity giggled as she, Moira, Laurel, Thea, Roy and Quentin were amused by Oliver's inability.

"Maybe I should've taught him to do that." Laurel nodded.

"Did you forget what happened, when you tried to wash my Versace shirt?" Tommy asked as Laurel was quiet and nudged him with her elbow, shooting him a glare.

"Huh. I wonder if he matured more than I had thought." Moira mused.

**Maseo put on his suit and explained that he needed to go alone to meet a contact and that gaijin like Oliver would scare him off. Maseo assured them that he'd be back in an hour before he left. Oliver smiled, amused before he frowned upon seeing the look in Tatsu's eyes as she glared at him.**

"Oh, my…" Felicity said.

"This is not gonna end well." Roy muttered.

"Well, no but not in the way you think." Sara said as they were curious about what was going to happen next.

**Later, Tatsu was talking over a phone with someone in Japanese until she hung up, worried about Maseo as she tried to hold back tears.**

"Oh." Laurel said, knowing that her and Sara's mother had been through something similar with Quentin when Laurel and Sara were kids.

"Did he…" Quentin trailed off.

"He's not dead." Sara assured them as they relaxed.

**Oliver tried to assure Tatsu that everything was going to be alright until he suggested to try and find Maseo.**

**Tatsu said she'd follow him as Oliver, meaning no offense, said that she was just Maseo's wife, while she pointed out that Oliver was a billionaire, who did not know how to use a laundry machine. Oliver turned to Akio as he was hoping Tatsu would have someone to watch over her son for a few hours.**

"Well, at least he's become more responsible." Moira said.

"Maybe he could have learned that earlier, if someone had given him the chance." Sara said as Moira turned around to face her and paled upon seeing the look Sara was giving her, realizing she knew more secrets than Moira had thought before everyone looked confused.

"OK, what don't we know this time?" Laurel grumbled as she sighed in frustration.

"Not now." Sara said as they turned to the screen again.

**Oliver and Tatsu were on a stakeout at the docks, as they were in an SUV, waiting. Oliver wondered what did " _gaijin_ " mean as Tatsu explained that it meant "foreigner/outsider" in Japanese, which Oliver was, while Oliver said that Tatsu was a foreigner too, a Japanese living in Hong Kong.**

"Burn." Tommy quipped as he, Roy and Thea snickered, while everyone else shook their heads.

**Tatsu looked sad as Oliver apologized for his tactlessness. Oliver asked Tatsu, why did Tatsu leave Japan, while Tatsu explained that her family had angered very dangerous people. Oliver did want to know more but Tatsu warned him that he was asking too many questions. Then, they saw some Asian people, who were rival gang to the Triad, controlling the docks as Oliver pointed out that they might be their only lead to Maseo. Oliver went out, facing the gangsters, until one of them punched Oliver in the face, knocking him down as he proceeded to beat Oliver.**

"Oh, no." Laurel said as they all were once again worried about Oliver.

**Suddenly, Tatsu pulled out a katana, slicing through the thugs, much to Oliver's astonishment until she pointed it at the last gangster standing, nearing it to his neck, demanding to know what had happened to Maseo and other A.R.G.U.S. agents. The thug said that he didn't know anything as Tatsu threatened to slit his throat. The thug then remembered that three A.R.G.U.S. agents had been killed earlier by Triad, few hours ago, as Oliver and Tatsu looked saddened.**

"Oh…" Thea said as the atmosphere turned solemn once again.

"Maseo wasn't one of them." Sara assured them as they relaxed but still… three good people dead at the hands of the Triad…

**Oliver and Tatsu returned to Yamashiro's apartment as Tatsu had tears in her eyes, wondering how could she explain to her son that his father was dead and Oliver found himself unable to say anything to comfort her because… well… what could he say to something like this?**

"My God…" Felicity said, all of them feeling sympathy for Tatsu. Quentin, Moira, Thea and Laurel in particular felt deep sadness, when they remembered when they found out about the Gambit sinking.

**Tatsu opened the door and to her and Oliver's surprise, Maseo was with Akio on the floor, playing until Maseo turned to them, wondering where they had gone. Tatsu rushed to her husband, hugging him, relieved as Tatsu explained that she had been worried about him. Maseo nodded as he explained that Waller had changed orders and brought him in, leaving him in lockdown because three agents had been killed earlier. Tatsu kissed Maseo as Akio groaned in disgust.**

"I think it's cute." Felicity said as she, Laurel and Thea giggled, while everyone else smiled.

**The parents hugged their son before turning to Oliver gratefully, as Oliver smiled, glad that the Yamashiros were together and safe. Oliver picked his bag of dirty laundry and got to cleaning.**

"That's when they became the closest thing to family Ollie had, after Slade and Shado… and us. In Hong Kong." Sara said as everyone felt glad that Oliver had a family he could be with… for a time.

"What happened to them?" Roy wondered.

"Keep watching." Sara said but the tone in her voice made it obvious something bad had happened to the Yamashiros as they became worried.

**Sometime later, Waller accompanied Oliver to the place, where they were meeting as they found an Asian man restrained to a chair and mouth taped, that Waller introduced as Katsu Cheng. A munition specialist, who planted a bomb in Hong Kong at Waller needed Oliver to find out information from him. Oliver wondered if he was going to talk to Cheng until Waller showed Oliver that her men had recovered Oliver's bow and quiver, with his hood and crate from Yao Fei back from _Amazo_.**

"Wow." Tommy said before it hit him. "Wait. No. No way."

"She wants Ollie to torture that guy?" Thea realized, none of them wanting to see Oliver torture someone.

"He didn't have it in him. Not back then." Sara said. They were glad that Oliver was trying to hold onto whatever normalcy there was. "But one thing he'd learn the hard way, sometimes extreme measures are necessary. And, no, Felicity, there was no reasoning with this guy." She said quickly as Felicity was about to open her mouth.

**Oliver then realized that she wanted Oliver to interrogate Cheng and find out where the bomb was, by whatever means necessary. Oliver beat up Cheng, wanting to know where the bomb was but Cheng retorted in Chinese as Oliver, in annoyance, grabbed his bow and arrow, notching it as Cheng noticed that Oliver's hands were shaking, realizing that while Oliver may be a killer, he didn't have it in him to torture someone.**

"Uh, I hope he did not torture too many people too brutally." Felicity said and Sara winced, wondering how could she explain what happened in Year Five in Russia as Felicity remembered how did Oliver interrogate Alonzo, when they were looking for Walter.  **[4]**

**Cheng taunted that Oliver was unable to do it because of his conscience as Oliver notched an arrow, having every intention of torturing him to save innocents but Oliver froze, unable to do it as Cheng smirked until a giant explosion went off behind him as Cheng smirked, satisfied while Oliver dropped his arrow in shock and stared in horror at the havoc wreaked by the explosion.**

"Oh, my God…" Laurel said, all of them stunned by what just happened.

"Ollie learned the hard way that he couldn't hesitate to go to the extreme to save innocents." Sara said.

**Later, Oliver went out as medics and firefighters were trying to minimize the damage and Waller approached Oliver, scolding him that this could have been avoided if Oliver had not hesitated because he lacked conviction. Oliver protested that he thought he could have reasoned with Cheng, much to Waller's disgust and disappointment.**

"Some men cannot be reasoned with. Some people, you need to deal with by using brutal force, as much as you don't like it." Diggle said and Quentin and Roy nodded, much to everyone else's shock, while Moira wasn't really surprised, considering Malcolm's methods of persuading criminals and businessmen to go along with the Undertaking.

**Waller told Oliver that some men cannot be reasoned with and that because they deal in extreme, it would be naïve to think that anything less than extreme measures could stop them.**

"One of many lessons Ollie had to learn the hard way." Sara said.

"But why him of all people?" Thea sighed.

"I wish I knew the answer." Sara said sadly.

**Oliver felt deep guilt as Waller told him that the explosion was his fault because Oliver hesitated to do what was necessary as Oliver pointed out that he did not have the stomach for torture, while Waller said that Oliver needed to practice.**

"Oh, hell, no!" Thea snarled as everyone glared at the screen.

"It's not just her, who makes him practice torture." Sara said grimly, her thoughts returning to Talia as she clenched her fists, burying her nails deep into her skin until her hands were almost bleeding.  **[5]**

**Later in the morning, Waller summoned Oliver to give him another chance as one of her agents dragged in another Asian man, who had taped mouth and was restrained as the agent forced the Asian to sit down, introducing him as Li Kuan Hui.**

"The man working for China White." Quentin realized as Sara nodded.

**Oliver realized who it was as Waller ordered Oliver to get out from Hui what he knew, saying that this was his second chance as the Asian paled, frightened. Reluctantly, Oliver picked his bow and arrows.**

"Uh, I don't want to see this." Thea covered her eyes, none of them wanting to see Oliver torture someone.

"Don't worry, you won't see Ollie torture him." Sara said as they all relaxed. "But I should warn you, things are about to become much worse."

Everyone felt pits of dread form in their stomachs, worried what was going to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Either they retconned Oliver's Chinese skills or Shado did not teach him enough Chinese, since it made no sense that Oliver did not understand what Maseo was saying
> 
> [2] and [3] One of the things that bugs me about Arrow, is inconsistency. If Oliver did meet China White prior to when he returned home, it's stupid she hasn't tried to attack Oliver directly. She must have put it together that Oliver was the Hood in 1x02, when White tried to kill Laurel and it's a surprise she hasn't put it together and used it against Oliver. Plus, if Fyers' operation was two-years long, how the hell did Waller know two years ahead that China White was going to be on the plane that she wanted Fyers to shoot down? That makes no sense.
> 
> [4] and [5] What I hated Russia arc in the flashbacks, was Oliver skinning a guy alive for practice, as they wanted to show that Oliver was a monster. I'll be changing that later just to show that Oliver skinned him until the man broke as Oliver later knocked him out.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	13. Friendship and family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see Oliver and Maseo attempting to help Tatsu as they also reflect on their past actions, when they see Oliver return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**Oliver entered the Yamashiro's apartment later, apparently tired with blood on his hands as he cleaned it with a cloth and Maseo offered Oliver a bowl of soup that Oliver politely declined. Maseo looked at Oliver in sympathy, acknowledging that he himself lost appetite for two days after "interrogating" someone.**

Everyone looked at Oliver in sympathy and pity that he had been forced to brutally torture someone in order to find out information.

"I didn't eat for a whole week after I tortured someone. Like Waller said, some people need to be dealt with by using extreme measures." Diggle said. "But… it's… well, I don't know what she was thinking, using someone as inexperienced as Oliver. She must have known Oliver would hesitate. I think she was trying to make him feel guilty enough to torture someone later. I've met some manipulating officers, who did that to their men too, to force them quickly into becoming soldiers."

"Considering what we've seen about her so far, it wouldn't surprise me about Waller." Tommy nodded.

"You have no idea how far she is willing to go to get her way." Sara said grimly as they all imagined dozens of scenarios to make Waller pay.

**Oliver corrected with disgust that he was torturing Li Kuan Hui as he sat down, frustrated, while Maseo asked Oliver, what did he learn about White's plan. Oliver sighed, explaining there was a biotech company in Hong Kong that accidentally invented a super-virus called "Omega", with one vial being possible to wipe out an entire city.**

"Oh, my God…" Thea whispered.

"Super-virus, is that even a thing?" Tommy demanded, horrified.

"Yes." Sara said bluntly, her memories returning to Maseo trading the virus for his way into the League and the outbreak that Ra's unleashed in Starling City as everyone stared at the screen in horror.

**Oliver and Maseo realized that the bioweapon was what White was after. Maseo asked Oliver if Li Kuan Hui knew about its whereabouts as Oliver said in disgust that he made Li Kuan Hui tell him. Maseo assured him that he did what was necessary, with one man's agony not being worth lives of a whole city.**

"He's not wrong." Diggle pointed out.

"But…" Felicity trailed off. "Wasn't there another…"

"There wasn't." Sara interrupted her. "Felicity, one thing I keep telling you, either you're willing to do whatever it takes to save lives, or you should not be a part of what Oliver does, at all. Like I said, because of you and Tommy mainly, Oliver held back at one point and he had a chance to kill someone dangerous and he didn't take it and because of it, a good friend died."

Everyone turned to her and saw Sara reliving the pain as they looked into her eyes and she looked at Felicity and Tommy partly in contempt, as they both had convinced Oliver  _not_  to kill anymore.

"Who… who died?" Laurel asked as Sara took a breath.

"It doesn't matter." Sara said, quickly getting ahold of herself again, which was scaring them all. But still, it made them wonder who did Sara lose. "But you need to understand that Ollie never killed anyone unless he had to but because you convinced him  _not_  to kill, one of the people he fought against, throughout his years as the vigilante, killed someone he loved because you made him believe that having high moral ground was more important than doing whatever it takes to save lives."

They all paused and considered. They weren't fine with Oliver killing but if that's what it took to protect the people Oliver cared about, they could move past it, although for Tommy and Felicity in particular it was a difficult pill to swallow.

**Later, Oliver and Maseo snuck into BTHK BIOTECH, knocking out the guards on patrol as Maseo entered a security room, while Oliver entered the lab, looking at the tube with an Omega symbol, only to find it empty, much to his and Maseo's surprise.**

"What the hell?" Roy demanded.

"Someone stole it before them?" Quentin deduced.

"Yeah." Sara nodded as they all wondered how did it happen.

**Maseo checked the security footage and saw a scientist take the virus as he realized that White had an inside man to steal it.**

"Damn it." Diggle swore as everyone was worried what would White do with it.

"How dangerous that virus is?" Moira wondered.

"Do you remember the chemical spill in Hong Kong a couple of years back?" Sara asked and everyone widened their eyes in realization as they whirled on her.

"Wait, you're saying that…" Felicity demanded.

"It was the virus." Sara nodded with a grim look in her eyes. "Beijing covered it up. You'll see how it happened really later and it wasn't good."

Everyone looked worried about what really happened in Hong Kong.

**The following day, Oliver and Maseo abducted the man, intending to interrogate him as they had him bound to the chair in the construction site where Oliver had interrogated Cheng and Li Kuan Hui and where he was supposed to meet Waller. The man begged for his life and tried to pay them off, which did not work. Maseo demanded to know where was the virus but the man claimed that he had no idea what was Maseo talking about but neither Oliver or Maseo believed him.**

"Come on, the footage clearly shows him stealing it, there's no way he can deny it!" Tommy protested.

"He's good, I'll give him that but the evidence clearly says he did it." Quentin said, although his cop instinct was telling him that something was… off.

"Why is he denying it, when they have proof?" Thea wondered.

"Well, you're not gonna believe it." Sara said as everyone wondered what was going to happen next.

**Oliver pulled out his bow from the duffel bag and notched an arrow as the man paled.**

"Oh, God…" Felicity and Thea immediately covered their eyes as Tommy, Laurel and Moira looked away, not wanting to see Oliver torture someone.

**Oliver shot the arrow into the man's shoulder as he screamed in pain, denying ever stealing the virus. Oliver twisted as the man cried out in pain before Oliver pulled it out, wondering why the man hasn't confessed as Maseo pointed out that the man did not remember.**

"How can he  _not_ remember?" Tommy wondered.

"Well, you're not gonna believe it." Sara said, glancing towards Thea as dreadful memory was resurfacing in her mind.

**Maseo pointed out that there was a drug called Vitura, making people extremely susceptible to suggestion, much to Oliver's surprise as Maseo explained that people under often have no memory of what they did under the influence of the drug.**

"Mind control drug? Is that a thing?" Thea asked as everyone looked disbelieved.

"Yeah." Sara said bluntly with a hint of bitterness in her tone.

Everyone turned to her in confusion and Sara quickly got a hold of herself before the viewers would notice the look she was giving towards Thea.

"I assume you have bad experience with it?" Quentin inquired.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Sara said as everyone wondered what were her bad experiences throughout her years as vigilante and in the League of Assassins but… they decided not to look deeper into it before turning towards the screen again.

**Oliver sighed in frustration as he realized that they had been wasting their time, White had the virus and they had no way of finding her. Maseo pointed out that they had kidnapped her inside man and they should worry more about her finding them.**

**Back in the Yamashiro's house, Tatsu was helping Akio with his homework.**

"Oh, no…" Felicity said, pale as everyone realized that no one was guarding Maseo's family.

**China White burst in as Tatsu and Akio got up, frightened as Tatsu stepped up protectively in front of her son.**

Laurel gasped, getting immediate flashback from when China White tried to kill her, when Laurel was after Martin Sommers. Diggle also tensed, the scene all too familiar to him as well, while everyone else looked worried.

"Ollie, get to her, please…" Laurel begged, hoping Oliver would be able to help Tatsu like how he helped Laurel.

**Tatsu ordered for Akio to hide before White stepped up, stopping them as Tatsu glared at the Triad assassin. White walked down the apartment and picked Tatsu's katana from the stand on the fireplace.**

"Stay the hell away from her, you white-haired bitch." Thea sneered as everyone glared at the Triad assassin.

**Tatsu ordered Akio to run as the boy hid in a closet before she threw a chair at White. White dodged as Tatsu picked another katana and engaged White in swordfight. They appeared to be evenly matched before Tatsu struck White in her face. White dodged as Tatsu knocked down a lamp from a stand. White dodged Tatsu's attack before kicking her in her stomach. Tatsu staggered back, crashing against another lamp standing on a table before dodging White's blade.**

"Please, tell me they made it." Roy begged.

"No." Sara said as everyone looked worried.

**The scene fast-forwarded to Oliver and Maseo entering the trashed apartment, much to Maseo's horror as he saw the mess and blood spattered on a table.**

"They're not dead." Sara assured the viewers, stunned by seeing the scene as they relaxed.

**To Maseo's relief, Akio rushed to him as Maseo hugged him but the boy had tears in his eyes as he explained that the white-haired woman had kidnapped Tatsu, much to Maseo's and Oliver's horror.**

"Oh, my God…" Quentin whispered, holding Laurel as it could have been his daughter, being glad that Oliver had protected her and felt ashamed of accusing Oliver responsible for deaths of everyone around him and threatening to kill him.

"Did she make it?" Tommy hoped.

"Don't worry about her." Sara said as they all relaxed but still, they were worried about what was going to happen next.

**The following day, Oliver and Maseo called Waller as they met her back in the construction site as she scolded them for being careless, when following the lead on the virus and abducting the scientist without giving Waller a heads-up first.**

"Well, maybe if she had given them proper protection and not leave them defenseless without more A.R.G.U.S. agents to help, this wouldn't have become such a problem." Diggle growled as everyone glared at Waller.

"She's supposed to be a director of an governmental agency, shouldn't she guarantee protection of the families of her operatives?" Felicity pointed out.

"You really think Waller would care, considering what I've told you about her?" Sara pointed out as everyone was silent.

"Please, tell me she got hers later." Roy said.

"Not in the footage but a couple of years later, someone put a bullet in her, when she was unwilling to trade lives of her agents for something very dangerous." Sara said.

"Who?" Moira asked.

"Remember Lieutenant Joyner, Dig?" Sara turned to Diggle, who widened his eyes.

"Joyner? Isn't that son of a bitch supposed to be in prison?" Diggle demanded, outraged.

"Who's Lieutenant Joyner?" Felicity asked. "Someone you know from the army, John?"

"Yeah." Diggle said, glaring.

"We'll talk about that later." Sara said as everyone nodded and turned to the screen again.

**Maseo demanded an extraction team to rescue Tatsu, while Waller pointed out that they had no intel regarding White's whereabouts and there were more important matters to attend to.**

"What? That bitch has the virus and Tatsu, what can be more important than that?" Roy snapped as everyone glared again.

**Oliver tried to suggest a rescue plan for Tatsu and tracking down White, while Waller pointed out it was not going to be that simple and that the virus was actually comprised of two components and that White needed its counterpart, Alpha, to make the virus potent.**

"Alpha and Omega… I guess that makes sense." Laurel said.

**Oliver asked where Alpha was, while Waller replied that it was in the possession of the Hong Kong military as Oliver said in relief that the virus was safe. Waller pointed out that Alpha needed to be destroyed as Maseo said outraged that by the time they would manage to do that, Tatsu could already be dead.**

"Neither of them is wrong." Diggle pointed out.

"So, what are they gonna do?" Moira wondered.

**Waller showed them a blueprint of PLA military laboratory, where Alpha was being kept and that Oliver and Maseo were going to break in and steal the vial. Maseo was frustrated that she was not going to do anything to help his wife, while Waller told him coldly that Tatsu was not her priority before Waller left.**

"Bitch." Roy growled as everyone glared at Waller.

"Yeah, no kidding." Sara nodded.

**Later at night, Oliver and Maseo walked down the rooftop towards across the laboratory. Maseo readied a sniper rifle, explaining the infiltration plan, telling Oliver he did not trust Waller to rescue his family.**

"I wouldn't trust her either." Quentin said as everyone nodded.

**Oliver notched and fired the grapnel arrow before ziplining. Maseo shot the window but it was bulletproof glass that Oliver was unable to break through as he was hanging on the line.**

"Damn it!" Laurel snapped as everyone was worried.

**Oliver swung and kicked the window, trying to break it or kick it in. After few moments, Oliver broke the glass before entering the facility.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Oliver snuck in and looked for the vial with Alpha until he found it in a case. Maseo and more A.R.G.U.S. agents entered before they were shot down from behind as on a balcony above appeared some men shooting at them.**

"Oh, no." Tommy said as everyone looked worried again.

**Oliver and Maseo took cover behind a table as Oliver wondered whether they were Hong Kong military as Maseo pointed out that they were Triad, White's people.**

"Shit. That's not good." Roy said as everyone wondered how did Oliver and Maseo make it out.

**Maseo and A.R.G.U.S. agents covered Oliver as he ran down the facility, trying to escape White's men. He took cover behind a locker as one of White's men fired until his rifle was empty. Oliver went out from his cover and hit him in the face with his bow and slammed him against the lockers. Oliver then punched him in the face and knocked him down as he notched an arrow, while the man raised his hands in surrender. Oliver seemed to hesitate as the man got up and ran away.**

"Why would Oliver let him go?" Roy asked as everyone looked confused.

"Unless he wanted for that man to get away." Quentin realized.

"He must have planted a tracker on him." Diggle said.

"He could lead them to Tatsu." Laurel finished as everyone looked hopeful and surprised by Oliver's cleverness.

"Yeah." Sara nodded.

**One of the A.R.G.U.S. agents scolded Oliver for letting the man get away, while Maseo reminded that they needed to leave.**

**Later, Oliver met with Waller outside as she smiled in satisfaction as she had in her hand the vial with Alpha, glad that her "investment" in Oliver wasn't for nothing.**

" _Investment_?!" Everyone repeated, outraged and glaring at the screen.

"Is that bitch serious?!" Tommy yelled.

"What the… what does she think my brother is, her slave or something?!" Thea demanded angrily.

"Oh, he's not the only " _investment_ " Waller was interested in." Sara said. "She also recruited numerous criminals and assassins, threatening to kill them if they did not become her black ops operatives, putting bombs into their heads to ensure their compliance."

" _What_?!" Everyone yelled, more outraged than earlier.

"Oh, God, just when I thought she was evil." Felicity said.

"" _Evil_ " is an understatement with her." Laurel snapped.

"She's the Devil incarnate." Moira sneered, her thoughts returning to Isabel Rochev.

**Waller pointed out that she was disappointed that Oliver had allowed one of White's men to escape and that they had no one to "interrogate" as she walked away.**

Everyone again glared at Waller.

"I know I've said it before but how the hell is someone like her a leader of a governmental agency?" Diggle demanded.

"I honestly wanted to kill that bitch dozens of times but death would be too kind for her." Sara said.

"Wait, are you suggesting something?" Quentin asked, intrigued.

"I have evidence of all black ops, war crimes and other illegal activities she had done without the approval of the White House." Sara said. "You're more than welcome to use that against her, so that she stands trial. Lyla later replaced her as the director anyway, and A.R.G.U.S. was in good hands since then."

Everyone considered before nodding in approval.

**Maseo pointed out that he _knew_  Oliver did not hesitate but decided to let the man go as Oliver explained that he had planted a tracker on the man as it would lead them to Tatsu as Maseo looked at Oliver in surprise. Oliver promised to get Tatsu back as Maseo told him gratefully that the Asian was forever indebted to him as Oliver nodded.**

"Wow…" Felicity said amazed.

"How many people were so grateful to Oliver that they said that to him?" Quentin wondered.

"Honestly, I'm not sure, asides from Maseo and Anatoly." Sara admitted. "Maseo later saved Ollie's life when he almost died but you're not gonna see that here, it happens quite later."

Everyone felt grateful that Oliver had loyal friends throughout the years, who would help him.

**Oliver and Maseo later entered the nightclub, where the tracker led them as they noticed that it was Triad front, which was heavily guarded as Oliver pointed out that Maseo was the one who said that he would do anything to get Tatsu back. And then, an Asian woman and two Asian men apprehended them, taking away their guns and aiming at them.**

"Crap." Thea said as everyone looked worried.

**Oliver and Maseo were escorted into VIP area, where White was waiting for them, pointing out that Maseo was late, much to Oliver's confusion as White asked whether Maseo brought the item.**

"What?" Everyone asked, confused.

"No way, he didn't…" Quentin realized as he remembered what he had to do to get Laurel back, when she was kidnapped by Cyrus Vanch.

"What the…" Roy trailed off as everyone was shocked by what was going on.

"He did what he thought he had to do to get his wife back." Diggle pointed out. "I'm not saying that he did the right thing but you shouldn't fault him for that."

Everyone considered before nodding, Quentin and Moira especially did understand.

**Maseo demanded to know where Tatsu was as he broke the hand of one of White's men as he was losing his patience, while turning to Oliver apologetically.**

**Another henchman brought Tatsu, who demanded to know what was her husband doing as Oliver glared at Maseo, who retorted angrily that he did what he had to and Oliver had no right to judge him.**

"Well, he's not wrong but I can't blame Oliver either." Roy pointed out and no one disagreed with him.

**Maseo showed White the vial, who picked it and wanted to test it.**

"Why would she think it was fake?" Tommy wondered.

"I doubt Maseo would risk that and there's no way Oliver could've predicted that Maseo was going to trade the virus." Diggle said.

"It was fake. You'll see what happened." Sara said.

**White handed the vial to one of her men, who tested it in the machine as they realized that it was not the virus. White ordered for her men to kill Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu.**

"Oh, no." Everyone said.

**Maseo quickly picked a tray and used it as a shield as one of White's men shot at him. Oliver grabbed the gun of another thug and disarmed him before knocking him out with a tray, while Tatsu engaged another thug and knocked him out before they quickly ran out from the club, shooting their way out.**

**Oliver slid across the counter, shooting more thugs as Tatsu threw a knife, killing another thug before Oliver knocked out the one at the exit as they ran away, while White looked enraged that they managed to escape.**

"Haha." Tommy, Roy, Thea and Felicity laughed and spluttered at the screen as everyone else looked disgusted.

"What are you, five?" Quentin demanded as Diggle looked amused, while Moira and Laurel looked disgusted.

**Later, in the Yamashiro's house, Oliver scolded Maseo for risking their lives by using the fake vial but Maseo pointed out he wasn't bluffing and that Waller must have anticipated that Maseo would use it to trade Tatsu for the virus and that she must have switched the vials.**

"Of course." Quentin said.

**Oliver scolded Maseo for letting thousands of people die, while Maseo said that there was nothing he would not do for his own family before he sat next to Tatsu and Akio, much to Oliver's shock.**

"There's a lot of things I would have done for Mia but I never would have let countless of innocents die for my own family's safety." Sara said, glaring at Moira, who had the decency to look ashamed.

"You should have told us." Quentin pointed out as Moira sighed.

"I know. I was afraid." Moira said. "When we get back, I'll turn myself and Malcolm in."

"What?" Thea asked, as everyone turned to Moira, surprised.

"I should have done that a long time ago. I know it might not make up for what happened to Oliver or Sara… but at least I can prevent hundreds of deaths." Moira said.

Everyone considered before nodding.

**Tatsu thanked Oliver for saving her life. The next day, they packed up, intending to leave Hong Kong.**

"They wanted to run?" Thea realized.

"Maseo betrayed Waller, you think she was going to let that slide? Besides, White could've come after them again at any time." Sara pointed out as everyone paled, realizing things were about to get ugly.

**Maseo ordered Oliver to pack up because either way, Waller was going to go after them for Maseo attempting to steal the virus and the latter did not intend to stay around to allow White to attack them again and Waller was going to torture Oliver to find them.**

**Maseo then advised Oliver to reach out to his family and the press to announce that he was alive and then Waller could not get to him, since if the world knew that he was alive, it would limit Waller's options and make it difficult for her to take Oliver out as Maseo intended to disappear with his family, while advising Oliver to save himself.**

"Good idea." Felicity said before she stopped, realizing something as her hope vanished just as instantly as it rose in her. "Oh."

"I'm guessing it didn't work, did it?" Roy asked.

"No." Sara said as everyone sighed in disappointment, not that they were surprised but still…

**Later at night, Oliver was at a phone booth, trying to reach out to Moira as he told her that he was alive and in Hong Kong and that he needed her help and announce that Oliver was alive before someone pressed a button, causing for the call to be disconnected as Oliver turned to see a Caucasian man in suit as he paled and instead ran away.**

"Damn it!" Tommy groaned as everyone tensed.

"Waller intercepted the call anyway. It's not like you ever got that message." Sara told Moira as everyone sighed in frustration.

**Oliver ran down the alley before throwing an agent towards some baskets. Oliver kept on running before one of the agents caught him and pinned him down to the ground and tased him as Oliver passed out.**

"Crap." Felicity said as everyone was worried about Oliver.

"That's not good." Laurel said.

**When Oliver came to, he was being waterboarded as Waller's men interrogated him. They forced Oliver on a seat as Oliver coughed out, pointing out that everyone was going to look for him. Waller pointed out that she had intercepted Oliver's message and erased it before it could reach Moira at all.**

Everyone groaned.

**She then pointed out that she would kill Moira, if the message had reached her.**

"Did she threaten to kill me?" Moira demanded, partly frightened and partly outraged.

"A governmental agency that kills its own citizens and civilians?" Quentin demanded. "Just when I thought…"

"She was willing to bombard Starling City, when it was being invaded by army of men dosed with Mirakuru, just like Slade, without the government's permission until Ollie, Dig, Felicity, Laurel, me and the League stopped Slade." Sara said.

"Me?" Laurel realized.

"And the League?" Diggle asked, surprised.

"Long story." Sara waved them off.

**Waller acknowledged that Moira was a public figure before she pointed out that Thea had developed drug addiction since Oliver was gone and that it could easily be too much for her to bear and she might as well be dead, with a needle in her arm in a car as it was obvious what she was implying.**

Thea winced and paled and had the decency to look ashamed, while Tommy remembered scolding Thea for meeting with drug dealers like Jordon as he and Laurel wrapped one of their arms around her, while everyone else glared at Waller.

"God, if I had known, I never would've even started with drugs." Thea sighed, remembering the fiasco with using Vertigo few months back.

"Well, at least you've learned a lesson and cleaned up your act." Quentin assured her, although that was mainly because he felt guilty for being willing to put her into prison as a part of his misguided vendetta against Oliver as he still felt remorseful of his past actions towards the Queens.

**Oliver glared at Waller, wanting her to stay away from his family. Waller assured him that she would if Oliver would tell her where were the Yamashiros. Oliver hesitated for a moment as he looked ashamed and guilty of selling them out as he told her that they were on a ferry to Shanghai.**

"Well, it's not like she gave him another choice." Tommy pointed out and no one disagreed with him. Although they had to wonder, whether Maseo would forgive him.

**Oliver was bound to a pillar as one of the A.R.G.U.S. agents threw Maseo into the room with Oliver as Maseo asked Oliver whether he was alright.**

"Huh, I expected him to be either pissed or scold Oliver for being an idiot, at the very least." Roy said.

"Well, just wait, you'll see what happened." Sara said.

**Oliver explained to Maseo that he had sold Maseo's family out, while Maseo explained that he lied to Oliver, already expecting that Waller would have captured him.**

"Well, it was clever." Diggle noted.

"Wait but if he anticipated that then how did they catch him?" Laurel wondered. "Never mind, we'll see."

Sara chuckled as everyone again snickered.

**Maseo explained that he came back for Oliver, when he had heard that Oliver had been captured, while Oliver scolded him for being an idiot.**

Everyone laughed, remembering the banter Oliver had with Slade on the island.

**Maseo explained that he was not going to let Oliver suffer for Maseo's actions, while Oliver pointed out that things were about to get worse for both of them. The A.R.G.U.S. agents knocked them both out and when Oliver came to, he was in a car, facing Waller as his vision cleared, while Waller pointed out that she still needed his skills.**

"Oh, come on, another mission for that bitch?" Thea grumbled.

"Great." Laurel groaned.

"Well, this is gonna shock you all." Sara said as everyone was curious by what did Sara mean.

**Waller explained that they tracked White from Hong Kong to where they were currently. As Oliver's thoughts recovered, he saw outside the car the billboard "WELCOME TO STARLING CITY", as he was shocked to realize that he was back home.**

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed again.

"He was back in Starling?!" Thea demanded.

"But if… why… how… who…" Tommy said, shocked, unable to form words.

"None of you was supposed to know he was there, otherwise you'd all be dead." Sara explained. "And… well… I don't mean to guilt trip anyone of you but this is going to bring to most of you guys bad memories and I hope you'll realize how wrong your behavior back then was."

Thea, Moira, Quentin, Laurel and Tommy relaxed as shame flooded through them, suspecting what was going to happen next. And the feeling got worse, when they realized that it was more than likely that Oliver had seen them.

"Oh, no…" Laurel said as she, Tommy, Quentin and Thea realized what happened back then as shame and guilt flooded through them.

**Oliver, Maseo and Waller were meeting in an apartment as she debriefed them on White most likely trying to auction off the Omega virus to the highest bidder, while Maseo pointed out that without Alpha, Omega was inert and Waller pointed out that the bidders were likely to replicate the Alpha.**

"That doesn't sound good." Diggle said as everyone hoped deep down that Oliver was able to stop her.

**Oliver wondered why would White sell the virus in Starling, while Waller showed a photo of Peter Kang, who had done multiple industrial espionage acts and was on Triad's payroll as Oliver recognized him as an employee of Queen Consolidated, who visited his family for Christmas.**

"Peter. Oh, my God…" Moira whispered, recognizing him. "I thought he was a good man."

"No one could have seen that coming." Quentin assured her.

"He was a fence for the Triad and he had stored files about the sale in the server of QC." Sara explained as Moira gulped, wondering whether she should do more thorough background check on the employees of Queen Consolidated.

**Waller pointed out that Kang was the only reason Oliver and Maseo were still alive as she warned that if Oliver would attempt to compromise the mission by reaching out to his friends or family or anyone else in Starling City, she was going to have them all killed.**

"Great." Thea grumbled as everyone glared at Waller again.

**Later, Maseo approached a black car and planted a device under it as he walked down the street towards Oliver, who was hiding in an alley, with a cap on his head. Oliver pointed out that they needed to know where was the auction as they followed Kang in their own car.**

**Elsewhere, Quentin was leaning his head, frustrated as he was sitting in a bar, while Laurel entered, visiting him.**

"Oh, my God, no, not that. Why that day of all…" Quentin groaned as he dropped his face into his hands, realizing  _what_  day it was as Moira, Thea, Laurel and Tommy shivered too, none of them wanting to relive it again as shame and guilt filled them all as they realized that Oliver must have seen some of the bad parts of that day.

**Quentin turned to Laurel, smiling as Laurel pointed out that Quentin's desk sergeant called, wondering why Quentin was not on duty. Quentin annoyingly introduced Laurel to the bartender, as the daughter that was still alive as Laurel pointed out that Quentin had been visiting bars a lot lately, spilling his heart out.**

Quentin and Laurel winced, ashamed of how they had been treating Oliver and Quentin's guilt was reinforced by what the recording was most likely going to show later.

**Quentin pointed out that he needed more than Laurel to get over Sara's death as Laurel had a law degree. Laurel ignored Quentin's comment and offered to drive Quentin home. The bartender realized that Quentin had had more than enough as Quentin laughed in annoyance before Laurel accompanied him.**

Quentin turned to Laurel gratefully. "I should have said it back then… but thank you for looking out for me. Even if I didn't want you to." Then, he turned to Thea, Moira and Tommy. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for what I did to all of you back then. I really am. I can't change what I did… but I hope we can all start over, once we get back."

"Yeah. I'd like that." Thea nodded.

"I think that's fair." Tommy agreed.

"I agree." Moira said.

**Laurel paid the bartender as Oliver and Maseo followed Kang as Maseo pointed out that Kang's computer in his office was protected by SHACAL-4 encryption, not that Oliver understood. Maseo explained that they could not hack into Kang's computer and that they needed to connect directly into Queen Consolidated network.**

"That was clever." Felicity said as she was the only one present, who did understand. "Although how did they get in?" Then she remembered. "Wait, my supervisor told me that someone had used a dead person's identity to access the servers…"

"Well, Ollie was good, I'll tell you that much." Sara said, not wanting to repeat herself again as everyone wondered how did Oliver pull it off.

**Oliver pointed out that they could not afford to let people know that he was alive as Maseo pointed out that Oliver would sneak in at night, since Maseo did not have time to study the plans of the office floors. Oliver then frowned as he saw Thea walk out, which shocked him as she entered the car.**

"Ollie…" Thea whispered, touched that Oliver did see her and hurt that he could not speak with her until shame filled her, realizing what was going to happen next and that the recording was most likely going to show it too as she groaned and put her hand to her face in frustration. "Please, don't let it show that…"

**The chauffer drove Thea to the graves at the garden of the Queen Manor, while Oliver was shocked to see her, since she had pigtails last time he saw her. Thea walked to the graves, talking to Robert and Oliver about Walter and Moira before a young blonde man with a hair to a bun approached her as Oliver and Maseo narrowed their eyes, wondering who that was.**

Tommy and Laurel glared at the man on the screen as Roy felt quite jealous.

"Your boyfriend?" Roy asked Thea, hurt.

"No." Thea said uncomfortably.

"Great. Jordon. That ass. Remind me why did you hang out with him again?" Tommy turned to Thea, who squirmed, ashamed.

"I know, Tommy, OK? I don't need another lecture." Thea snapped.

Then something hit them as Tommy, Laurel, Thea, Moira and Quentin looked at each other.

"Oh, my God…" Laurel said.

"You don't think that…" Tommy trailed off.

"Oh, Jesus…" Thea whispered, as it would have made sense, while Moira and Quentin were disturbed, wondering how the hell did they miss it, while Felicity, Diggle and Roy were the only one not following.

"What?" Roy asked. Thea, Quentin, Moira, Laurel and Tommy turned to Sara, hoping that she would prove them wrong but Sara's face was nothing but blank, emotionless mask as they turned to the screen, hoping that their suspicions were incorrect.

"Wait, didn't someone die at your party?" Diggle then remembered, as he and Andy were bodyguards back then, near Merlyn Manor.

"Oh." Felicity and Roy said, realizing what must have happened.

**Oliver admitted he did not know who Jordon was as Thea paid Jordon in cash, while he handed her a bag of drugs.**

"Thea Dearden Queen!" Moira exclaimed angrily as she, Laurel, Tommy, Roy and Quentin whirled on her, glaring.

"I KNOW! I KNOW!" Thea snapped, covering her face with her hands in shame. "I was a stupid kid, who made a stupid mistake, I know that now!"

"Just for the record, Ollie and I may not have been saints and yeah, at best, we did smoke pot but narcotics, never! We knew better than that!" Tommy reminded.

"I KNOW!" Thea snapped again, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"You're so lucky I didn't find out back then." Quentin said.

**Tommy suddenly approached them, glaring at Jordon and telling him off, warning him to stay away from Thea, as Jordon walked away, glowering, while Thea gave Tommy an annoyed look.**

**Tommy lectured Thea that she shouldn't be doing drugs, while thanking her for the birthday card and she was uninvited due to her age, not that it was dissuading Thea from coming in. Tommy scolded her that she should not be growing up too fast, while Thea pointed out that he was not her brother.**

Tommy and Thea winced as they realized the revelation they were half-siblings.

"At least you were more responsible back then. What happened to that guy?" Laurel pointed out.  **[1]**

"Honestly, I wish I knew." Tommy said.

"At least she had a brother, who would look out for her." Moira pointed out.

"Looking back, I wish I had listened to you. I'm sorry." Thea turned to Tommy apologetically.

"It's OK. Really." Tommy assured her.

**Tommy pointed out that he was thinking about Oliver every single day and if Oliver had seen, he would be ashamed of her as it would break his heart, while Thea scoffed, pointing out how funny it was that Oliver was giving a damn about her, now that he was dead as she walked away. Unknowing to them, Oliver had been watching them from a distance the whole time, hurt from what he was seeing.**

Thea sobbed as her eyes were getting wet, ashamed of herself as she wished she could have taken it all back. If she had known Oliver was watching them the whole time, she never would have said that as Moira and Laurel wrapped their arms around her, with Moira fondling her hair.

"You were a young upset kid. Don't beat yourself up." Diggle assured her.

"Look, Thea, what's done is done. Besides, we all more or less made amends, didn't we?" Quentin said as Thea breathed out, nodding.

**Later at night, Oliver snuck into the offices of Queen Consolidated through the ducts as he saw a photo of himself and Robert and a thumb scanner at the computer at the table. Maseo pointed out that the computers were protected by biometric encryption and that he needed to unlock it. Oliver wondered why didn't they erase his records, while Maseo pointed out what was the point of erasing the records of a dead man.**

"Damn it." Felicity cursed. "I should have taken a look, so that I could have prevented hacks like this one."

"But then Ollie probably never would have found the virus." Laurel pointed out.

"I know, I just… I can't believe how stupid the security of the company must have been." Felicity muttered.

"Uh-huh." Moira nodded, remembering how did the Hood break in, interrogating her about the Undertaking as she winced in shame that she had shot her own son.

**Oliver put his finger on the thumb scanner, unlocking the computer as he plugged in the device programmed to download Kang's files. To Oliver's surprise, on Robert's private server were two video files meant for Oliver and Thea.**

"What…" Moira trailed off as everyone, except for Thea looked shocked.

"That file for me is the video you showed me, is it?" Thea asked Sara, who nodded.

"I'm guessing the other file is the message Oliver found." Diggle realized as he remembered confronting Oliver about how could he be sure the List was not wrong. "You'll see." He said as everyone looked confused before smiling.

**Oliver looked for another drive in the desk before deciding to copy the video files, which was going to take a bit longer than downloading Kang's files as Maseo ordered him to leave.**

"Damn it." Diggle said as everyone wondered whether Oliver would get caught.

**The elevator dinged as Felicity Smoak, with black skirt and white shirt with black dots entered.**

"Oh." Felicity said, a bit flattered. "I honestly did not expect I'd be in this at all." Everyone snickered before Felicity remembered what happened as she blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Oh, God…" She covered her mouth, giggling quietly.

**Felicity entered the office, which was empty as Oliver hid around the corner. Felicity looked at the photo of Oliver and Robert, saying that Oliver was cute and it was pity because Oliver was dead and then she muttered it was being awkward because she was talking to herself loud and it was a habit she needed to get rid of before she left the office.**

Felicity giggled as her cheeks were going red.

"You're cute, you know that?" Diggle asked as Felicity covered her face in embarrassment, giggling as everyone else snickered in amusement.

"I can see why Walter liked you." Moira pointed out.

**In the safehouse, Maseo was debriefing Waller on the contents of the files and that they needed time to go through it all, while Waller wondered where Oliver was as Maseo assured her that Oliver was probably checking on weapons.**

"At least he had Ollie's back." Laurel said as everyone was glad how loyal friend Maseo was.

**The scene changed to Merlyn Manor, where Tommy's birthday party was going on.**

"Oh, no…" Moira, Tommy, Laurel and Thea said, realizing what was going to happen as Quentin groaned.

**John Diggle was tending to one of the youngsters vomiting as he was annoyed by holding the youngster's napkin before throwing it into the trashcan.**

"I worked there as a bodyguard for one of those rich kids, like you or Oliver back then. It was a one-time deal." Diggle explained as everyone turned to him in confusion.

**Andy Diggle then approached him as the older Diggle talked about missing being back in Afghanistan and Andy said he expected Diggle to be more grateful for his brother getting him a job. Diggle pointed out that Andy sounded a lot like Lyla, while Andy pointed out that Diggle never should have left her.**

"Why did you two divorce?" Felicity asked Diggle.

"Back then, let's just say we couldn't find a common ground." Diggle said. "I mean, we loved each other but… I guess both of us had different perspectives."

No one noticed Sara glaring hatefully at Andy, considering that he was responsible for Laurel's death by betraying Diggle and giving the missing piece of idol to Damien Darhk.

**Unknowing to anyone, Oliver, in green hoodie snuck into the manor as Tommy was flirting with one of the guests before Laurel approached Tommy, mingling with him, leaving Oliver hurt as he was hiding around the corner before they looked shocked to see Thea at the entrance.**

Moira whirled on Thea, glaring. "He told you that you were not invited, how did you…"

"Fake ID." Thea said. "I was young and stupid, OK?" She snapped, not wanting to relive it all again. In fact, neither her, Moira, Quentin, Tommy or Laurel wanted to relive what was going to happen next.

**Tommy approached Thea, wanting to know how did she get in as she showed fake ID.**

"Clever." Roy noted, earning glares from Quentin, Moira, Laurel and Tommy. "But it was bad, really bad." He said quickly.

**Thea promised not to drink alcohol, not that they believed her.**

Thea groaned, not wanting to relive it. "Do we seriously have to see that?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And it in fact was much worse than you remember." Sara said as everyone was worried what happened, considering that Oliver was somehow involved.

**Jordon approached Thea, talking with her, as she bought more drugs from him.**

Thea dropped her face into her hands again.

**Oliver glared at Jordon as he was going upstairs, while Thea walked away.**

"Oh, my God…" Laurel said, recognizing the look in his eyes.

Everyone then realized what happened. "Did he…" Tommy trailed off.

"Ollie…" Thea trailed off, not wanting to believe her brother would do something so brutal to stand up for her.

**Oliver snuck up on Jordon in the upper level and pinned him to the wall, glaring and threatening him to stay away from Thea. Jordon looked confused before recognizing Oliver, much to his shock. Oliver threatened Jordon again to stay away before Jordon pulled out a knife, intending to kill Oliver. Oliver grabbed Jordon's arm and had him in neck lock before he snapped Jordon's neck and threw him over the railing down to the lower level before he ran away from the manor before anyone would notice him.**

They all gasped in shock. They had seen Oliver kill but none of them expected him to do something so brutal to stand up for his family back then…

"Jesus…" Quentin whispered. None of them really blamed Oliver for what he did and he did not really have a choice but still, it was shock to witness this. Then he groaned as he realized what happened next. "God, no, not that."

"Great." Laurel grumbled, not wanting to relive it.

**Outside the manor, the police was interrogating the guests as Thea looked at the crowd, wondering if she saw a ghost as Oliver blended in with the people.**

"How the hell did we miss him?" Thea wondered.

**Quentin and Hilton tried to figure out what happened as Hilton quipped that it must have been a vigilante doing a public service.**

"Well, it probably was his practice day." Felicity tried to lighten the mood but it had quite the opposite effect as she decided to shut up instead.

**Quentin, obviously drunk and angry, approached Thea as she looked uncomfortable, scolding her that she was too young to be in a party like this, while Tommy lied that he invited her. Quentin gave a mocking remark that spoiled billionaires like Tommy knew how to throw a party, with underage girls and dead drug dealers as Tommy tried to defend himself before Quentin approached Laurel, scolding her for hanging out with Tommy, accusing people like him getting Sara killed as he lashed out at Tommy and Thea that people like them got Sara killed and that Thea might as well be dead too and that because of the Gambit going down, everyone's life went to hell, while Laurel tried to calm him down, while Oliver observed, hurt at what damage had been done since he invited Sara onto the Gambit.**

Quentin's eyes were getting wet as he exhaled deeply, feeling guilty before turning to Tommy, Laurel, Moira and Thea. "I'm sorry. I really am. I…"

"We know, Daddy." Laurel assured him as everyone nodded, while Laurel held his hand.

**Maseo approached Oliver with a gun pointing at his back, ordering him to leave. Laurel lectured Quentin that he had embarrassed himself, while he accused Laurel of being a gold digger and sellout because of taking a law job in San Francisco, which hurt Quentin, while Laurel pointed out how pathetic Quentin was because of how drunk he was as Quentin argued she was throwing away her life before walking away.**

Laurel and Quentin looked away from the screen, ashamed of themselves, while Tommy had his arm around Laurel's neck, while Moira held Quentin by his shoulder, both of them trying to assure the Lances.

**Maseo and Oliver were in an alley as Maseo scolded him for sneaking onto the party and that his hoodie as a disguise would not have worked, even if he had put a grease paint on his face.**

Diggle, Felicity and Sara burst out laughing.

"Well, he was wrong." Diggle said.

"Eye mask is better. You should make it for him." Sara said.

"I might do that." Felicity nodded.

**Oliver was annoyed by Maseo's lecture, while Maseo explained that they found the location of the auction, which was an abandoned Queen's steel factory.**

"Huh. That's why." Diggle said, realizing why did Oliver use it as his lair and Tommy realized why did Oliver use it as the nightclub.

**Oliver pointed out that he did not care anymore and he wanted to fix the mess that he had left behind since the Gambit and if he died on this mission, he would lose any chance of fixing the mess.**

"Ollie…" Laurel said, all of them touched by him trying to make things right.

**Maseo argued that Oliver did not have the chance because Waller would kill him before he could try, while Oliver argued that his family's resources might help him.**

**Maseo sighed before he pointed out that if Oliver wanted redemption, he needed to start with the lives that would have been lost if Oliver would not stop her, while Oliver pointed out that they did not matter to him. The only lives that mattered to him, were his friends and family, while Maseo argued that they would be ashamed of Oliver's selfish choice.**

"Honestly, I can't say that Maseo's wrong but I can't fault Oliver for wanting to come back to us, either." Tommy admitted as everyone else nodded.

**Oliver pointed out that they were already ashamed of him before Maseo walked away.**

Laurel, Thea, Tommy, Quentin and Moira had tears in their eyes. Laurel and Quentin in particular felt ashamed of their anger towards Oliver and accusing him of getting Sara killed, when it was not his fault that the Gambit had sunk and Quentin's guilt was deepened by his treatment towards Thea, while Tommy wished he had matured more back then and Thea felt ashamed of her irresponsible behavior and using drugs.

**The scene changed to Queen Manor, where Oliver entered, looking around the familiar environment.**

"What…" Tommy trailed off.

"He was…" Moira paused.

"…back home." Thea finished as everyone else looked shocked.

**Oliver entered the living room and sat down, sighing and contemplating as he saw the family photos.**

Moira and Thea had tears in their eyes, wanting to welcome Oliver back home, even if he obviously was not going to stay for long.

**Oliver plugged the flash drive into the tablet as he turned on the video meant for him. On the screen was Robert, explaining he did not save his city but failed it and he did something horrible, ignoring his conscience and allied himself with terrible people, whose names were on a book, on the List he had left Oliver and that Robert had convinced himself that he had done everything for his family. Robert then explained that it was a lie, since his family was being without a soul because of that and that he needed Oliver to make Starling City better and right Robert's wrongs and save his city. Oliver pulled the drive out and considered.**

"That was the message." Diggle realized.

"That's why he was going after the guys he's taken down." Quentin realized and no one was thinking of Oliver as a murderer at that point anymore but as a man trying to honor his father's dying wish and redeem his family's name, finding newfound pride and respect for Oliver.

"Well, I hope it changed his mind and that he helps Maseo." Laurel said.

"I think we all do." Felicity agreed.

**Later, White entered the abandoned steel factory, intending to bid the Alpha/Omega virus as the A.R.G.U.S. agents with Maseo were about to intercept the sale.**

**The criminals noticed them as gunfire started, with all A.R.G.U.S. agents, except for Maseo, who was on the rafters, dead as Maseo raised his hands in surrender as one of the thugs handed Maseo over to White. Before they could kill him, Oliver jumped down from above, shooting down the thugs and throwing a gun to Maseo, who shot down more thugs.**

"Yeah!" Tommy and Felicity cheered.

"Kick their asses, Ollie!" Thea said, excited.

Everyone looked with intrigue, hoping that Oliver would save the day somehow.

**Maseo and Oliver took cover behind some crates before they rushed down the factory as White was about to unleash the virus as she was driving away. Oliver out down and jumped down from above, shooting at White's car, causing for it to skid as it crashed towards the barrels before White went out and Oliver knocked her out, while Maseo had Kang in cuffs, in his left hand the briefcase with the virus, cuffed to his wrist.**

"Good riddance." Laurel sneered.

**Oliver threatened to cut Kang's hand off if he did not give them the virus.**

"Would he…" Felicity trailed off.

"You sure you want to know?" Sara asked as Felicity was silent.

**Later, the next day in the morning, they met back in the hotel as Oliver hoped that he would go home, while Waller pointed out it was not going to be that simple.**

"Oh, come on. He saved the day, they have the virus, the bad guys are arrested, what else does she want?" Tommy grumbled.

"It's not over yet and White didn't stay behind bars for long anyway." Sara reminded as everyone groaned.

**Then, an elderly man in military outfit entered.**

"Oh." Diggle said as everyone realized what was going to happen next.

**The man introduced himself as General Matthew Shrieve of U.S. Army as he told Oliver that he needed to debrief Oliver back to China, much to Oliver's annoyance before Shrieve promised that after that Oliver was free to go home as Oliver nodded.**

"I'm guessing it did not go the way they planned, did it?" Laurel asked as Sara shook her head, while everyone looked disappointed, although not surprised.

**The scene changed to Starling City, as Tommy and Laurel met on the street, talking as he invited her on a dinner.**

"Oh. Great." Quentin grumbled.

"Dad…" Laurel nudged him.

"I know, it's just that…" Quentin paused, not sure how to say it. "Queen. Not him and me. Him and you two."

"Oh." Tommy said as he realized what did Quentin mean, while Laurel was conflicted again between Tommy and Oliver, while Tommy was conflicted again between his jealousy towards Oliver and his affection towards Laurel.

**Thea approached the graves of Robert and Oliver, leaving flowers as she mourned for them.**

Thea had tears in her eyes, shame filling her over her past behavior as Moira had her arm around her, assuring her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] It's quite sad that in flashbacks, Tommy seemed to be more mature and responsible than in the present in Season 1, well, as far as Thea was concerned.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	14. Letting the darkness in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see that Oliver's return home did not go as planned and also, they become shocked to witness Oliver giving into his inner darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**Back in Hong Kong, in an A.R.G.U.S. outpost, an agent debriefed Oliver, who summarized the details of what had happened, repeatedly, much to Oliver's frustration, until Shrieve entered, relieving the interviewer of his duty as the latter left, leaving Oliver and Shrieve alone.**

**Shrieve apologized to Oliver for Waller's thoroughness (paranoia), which Oliver did not mind, being used to it as Shrieve explained that the aftermath of Oliver's assignment was the matter of the U.S. army and not A.R.G.U.S. anymore, meaning Waller's business with Oliver was officially concluded as Oliver admitted that he was anything but disappointed.**

**Shrieve apologized for the invasiveness of the debriefing as Maseo entered, explaining that Oliver and the Yamashiros were free to go as Oliver and Shrieve shook hands.**

"That's good, isn't it?" Thea asked.

"I… guess." Quentin said as he and Diggle narrowed their eyes. "But I don't know, Thea…"

"Something doesn't add up. I can't shake this feeling but…" Diggle said. None of the viewers had any idea why but they had a strange feeling about Shrieve.

"There is something weird about this guy." Moira commented. "And I'm guessing he's not going back home yet."

The rest sighed, not surprised but still, it was quite disappointing.

**Later, Oliver walked down the pier, approaching the Yamashiros and hugging Akio as they approached him as Akio was hoping that Oliver would stay with them for a while, since the boy liked playing games with Oliver, while Oliver offered the Yamashiros to use his family's plane, so that they could visit America.**

Everyone chuckled, amused.

"Oliver always wanted a little brother." Moira commented as Thea frowned. "But you turned out good too, honey."

**Tatsu looked surprised that the Queens owned a plane, while Oliver corrected it was actually a jet.**

"I wonder if they should have used that instead of the Gambit." Moira said.

"And then Malcolm would plant a bomb on it too and Oliver would end up either in Nanda Parbat or in Himalayas in some kind of a monastery for shaolin monks or something like that." Sara joked as everyone snickered.  **[1]**

**They walked down the dock as Akio excitedly pointed towards their boat, while Oliver muttered that he hated boats, considering what had happened with _the Gambit_  and  _Amazo_.**

"Next time, we'll double check our boats for bombs." Moira said and everyone decided it was best  _not_  to react to her comment.

**One of the dock workers was revealed to have an earpiece as he looked at Oliver and the Yamashiros.**

"What the hell?" Roy wondered as everyone looked alarmed.

"I'm guessing they don't work in the docks." Laurel said.

"No." Sara said and everyone immediately realized it was about to become worse for Oliver.

**The worker approached them as Maseo immediately realized that he was a hostile as Maseo drew a gun, while the worker did the same but Maseo shot him and another worker down as Oliver, Tatsu and Akio took cover.**

"Who the hell are these guys?" Tommy demanded.

"You'll see." Sara said.

**Maseo shot down more of the assailants, who were firing at him, his wife and son and Oliver. Oliver used a mirror shard as he noticed a sniper before the latter destroyed the shard as Maseo noted that they were A.R.G.U.S., much to Oliver's confusion, since Shrieve had told Oliver she was not involved anymore, while Maseo noted that it most likely did not please her.**

"Considering what you've told us about her, it doesn't surprise me." Diggle said.

"Me neither but this wasn't Waller." Sara said.

"Then who?" Quentin asked before turning to her. If it was not Waller, then there was only one more likely suspect. "Shrieve?"

Sara nodded.

"What? Why?" Felicity asked as everyone was confused.

"Let's just say he wasn't what he seemed to be." Sara said vaguely. "Keep watching and you'll understand. All I'll say that Oliver and the Yamashiros were loose ends to him."

Everyone was wondering what was going on as they turned to the screen again.

**Maseo noted that they needed to get to safety. Oliver suggested to take a truck but Maseo protested before Oliver offered to cover the Yamashiros, requesting a gun from Maseo. Maseo threw a gun to Oliver as Oliver opened fire at the assailants, while Maseo, Tatsu and Akio ran. Oliver covered the Yamashiros as they kept on running, while Tatsu threw a rebar at one of the shooters, impaling it on his shoulder as he fell down.**

**Oliver grabbed Akio as they took cover behind a fuel tank, while Maseo threw out of a truck the driver. The gunfire separated Oliver and Akio from Tatsu and Maseo as Akio screamed, wanting to get to them, while Oliver held him tightly.**

"There's no way they can get to them without getting killed." Diggle said as everyone looked worried.

**Maseo ordered Oliver to get Akio out of there, while Tatsu screamed, wanting to get to her son, while Oliver picked the boy and ran away as Maseo held back his wife.**

Quentin and Moira looked at the Asian woman in sympathy, her being separated from her own child.

"Did they find their way back?" Roy asked.

"They weren't separated for long." Sara assured them as they relaxed.

**Oliver and Akio walked down the marketplace as Oliver attempted to assure the boy. Suddenly, Akio ran down the marketplace, much to Oliver's panic as he frantically tried to follow the boy.**

"Damn it." Roy groaned.

"I get that the kid's worried but he can't stay separated from Oliver." Tommy said.

Everyone was hoping that Akio and Oliver would make it back to the Yamashiros.

**Oliver looked around the marketplace until Akio found him, explaining that he thought he had seen his father. Oliver tried to calm down, explaining to Akio that getting separated was too dangerous before Akio remembered that Tatsu had told him to go to the botanical gardens if they ever got separated as Akio held Oliver's hand as they walked down the marketplace.**

"Clever boy." Quentin noted.

"He really was." Sara nodded.

**Later, they walked down the garden as Oliver told Akio about Thea, telling him that Oliver missed her as much as Akio was missing his parents, while Oliver explained that he had told Thea that he was hanging out with Akio for now as the boy wondered why Oliver wasn't with her. Oliver then explained that he and Thea used to go to botanical gardens too in Starling City.**

"He always wanted a little brother." Moira laughed as Tommy scowled. "And no, I mean really little brother, Tommy."

Tommy smiled, amused as everyone else chuckled.

"Yeah, I remember that I used to want to climb on the trees like monkey." Thea said, smiling at the happy memories.

**Suddenly, Oliver noticed that he and Akio were being followed by men in black suits.**

"Looks like Shrieve's men caught up with them." Diggle said as everyone was worried.

"Oh, no." Laurel said.

**The men were converging on them as Oliver and Akio started to run, while going back into the streets of Hong Kong, trying to blend in until Oliver stopped at meeting an Asian woman, who looked _very_  familiar, with dark hair, black eyes and her face caused for Oliver to be shocked at seeing her.**

"What?" Everyone said in disbelief.

"Isn't she dead?" Tommy demanded.

"How…" Felicity trailed off.

"It's not her." Sara said. "It's her twin sister. Mei."

" _Twin_?" Laurel, Thea, Moira, Roy and Quentin repeated.

Sara shrugged. "I was as surprised as all of you, when Ollie told me."

"Huh. For a moment I thought she was some kind of an elaborate ruse by Waller or Shrieve to catch Oliver off-guard or maybe Oliver was hallucinating again." Diggle said.  **[2]**

"Honestly, neither would surprise me." Sara said.

**Oliver had assumed it was Shado, while Mei demanded to know how did Oliver know her twin sister. Oliver quickly explained that it was a long story and that he and Akio needed Mei's help as she realized that something was off. Mei accompanied Oliver into her apartment as there was a photo of younger Yao Fei with shorter hair and shaved chin instead of a beard, while Oliver lied that his name was Tommy.**

Everyone snickered as Tommy scowled.

"Not a word." Tommy muttered as everyone smirked instead.

**Mei wanted to know what was going on as Oliver explained that it was complicated before he saw the photos of Yao Fei and Shado at the desk, while Oliver turned to the pictures. Mei demanded to know how did Oliver know Shado, while Oliver lied that they met in medical school. Mei pointed out that Shado did not mention any American friends, while Oliver lied that he had dropped out.**

"She's not stupid." Quentin said. "Sooner or later she'll figure out Oliver's holding something back."

"Is it gonna be good or bad?" Thea wondered.

"Bad." Sara said as everyone was worried again about Oliver.

**Mei wanted to know when did Oliver see Shado the last time as his mind returned to watching her die.**

Everyone again looked at Oliver in sympathy and sadness, hoping that they could convince him  _not_  to blame himself.

**Oliver's mind returned back to the present as he told Mei he had not seen Shado in a while as Mei nodded, explaining that she had not seen them either in three years, while the police thought that they had been kidnapped.**

"If she only knew…" Roy trailed off as everyone else nodded.

**Oliver offered her his sympathies as Mei explained that she wanted some closure, to know if her father and sister were dead, waiting for a phone call or the door to knock.**

**Mei offered Oliver a shower as Oliver nodded gratefully, while she offered to entertain Akio. But, as Oliver was taking off his shirt, she saw a dragon tattoo on his shoulder that was _very_  familiar to her.**

"Uh-oh." Felicity said as everyone tensed.

"This is not gonna end well." Thea noted, realizing that Oliver was in for a hell of a conversation with Mei.

"No. It's not." Sara said.

**When Oliver finished his shower, Mei was looking at him with narrowed eyes and crossed arms, much to Oliver's confusion. Mei showed Oliver the photo of Shado with the dragon tattoo on her back as she demanded to know the truth.**

**Oliver denied knowing what happened but Mei immediately saw through his lie. Oliver explained that he was trying to protect her, while Mei angrily said that Oliver would probably be more honest with the police.**

"Damn it!" Quentin groaned as everyone realized what was going to happen next.

"No cops but Shrieve, right?" Tommy asked, even though the answer was obvious.

"Yup." Sara nodded as everyone groaned.

**Oliver tried to calm her down, begging her _not_  to call the police but Mei said angrily that she already did and that they would arrive soon enough.**

"Oh, no…" Thea said as everyone felt pits of dread form in their stomachs.

**Oliver panicked, ordering for Akio to leave until he noticed laser sights, forcing Akio and Mei down on the floor as from the outside, someone started to shoot into Mei's apartment.**

**Mei was confused what was going on as the gunfire stopped. Oliver ordered her to take Akio to safety into the bedroom. Mei nodded as she and Akio crawled down the floor, as glasses, windows and dishes shattered and men wearing black military outfit and masks entered, with submachine guns. Oliver engaged them, knocking one of them down but the other man tackled Oliver as a shelf with vases collapsed as the vases shattered. Oliver threw the man away, knocking him out before the other man had managed to pick up his gun, aiming it at Oliver.**

Everyone paled, worried about Oliver.

 **Suddenly, Maseo and Tatsu entered**   **as Maseo shot the man down, while Tatsu killed another one with her sword. Tatsu called out as Akio rushed to her, hugging her as Maseo explained that they were working for Waller.**

"As much as this would fit her character, this time she was innocent." Sara said.

"Why would Shrieve do all this? And don't say " _You'll see._ ", we want to know everything." Laurel demanded as they turned to Sara, who sighed.

"Shrieve believed that China was becoming an economic and military threat to the United States, so he wanted to unleash the virus to eliminate it." Sara explained.

"What? That's…" Tommy trailed off as everyone remembered Fyers's plan.

"He lost his mind. That doesn't justify killing millions of innocents." Diggle growled, enraged that someone would betray their uniform like that.

"It's not the only madman Ollie had to deal with. There also was one, who thought that humanity needed a restart, so that man attempted to control all nukes and basically cleanse the world with nuclear annihilation." Sara said.

"What?!" Everyone demanded, disbelieved and shocked.

"Some men are so insane, willing to flood the entire world with blood, that they cannot be reasoned with." Sara said as everyone was disturbed by how many madmen did Oliver encounter.

**Later, as they took care of the bodies, Mei was sitting on her chair, processing what just happened as Oliver apologized to her for what happened and he sat down, taking a breath as Mei was hoping that it had something to do with Shado and Yao Fei.**

"Oh." Laurel said as everyone realized what was he going to do and it probably was going to be the hardest thing so far that he ever had to do.

**Mei breathed out, saddened, explaining how lost she was because of looking for answers. Oliver explained to her that he loved Shado and that he knew Yao Fei and that they had saved his life and that it was dangerous for anyone to know too much about who Oliver was before he explained that her sister and father were dead as Mei's heart shattered and she sobbed before thanking Oliver for giving her closure, noting how powerful the truth can be.**

"It indeed can be." Sara said as everyone felt a lot of sympathy for Mei and wishing that Oliver had been honest with them about what happened to him. As much as they did understand why he did not want to talk about it, they instead wondered if they had treated him better, maybe things could be different and he would try to be more honest with them. It was no doubt that the way they had treated him, was one of the main reasons he could not be honest with them.

**Oliver then left with the Yamashiros into another part of Hong Kong into a safehouse as Maseo was cleaning up his gun, while they were trying to come up with a plan. Oliver decided to confront Waller, while Tatsu pointed out that it was too dangerous. Maseo offered to help Oliver by giving him Maseo's pass card.**

**Later, Oliver broke into the place where Shrieve had debriefed him and inside, he was ambushed by one of the rogue operatives until he was shot down from behind by Waller, who was bleeding from her hip as she limped and groaned before she dropped her gun and leaned onto a pillar. She explained that Shrieve had been holding her hostage and that he was the one targeting Oliver and the Yamashiros. Oliver demanded to know why as Waller explained that Shrieve was planning to unleash the Alpha/Omega virus on Hong Kong, blaming it on Triad and that he believed that China was economic and military threat to the United States.**

Everyone glared and growled at Shrieve's immoral nature.

"But isn't he going to die too if…"

"He isn't stupid." Sara interrupted Roy.

**Waller explained that Shrieve's men had developed a vaccine to inoculate themselves and she pleaded for Oliver and the Yamashiros to leave Hong Kong, for their own sakes as she also said that she was hoping to meet Oliver again someday.**

"No way in hell!" Moira and Thea said immediately as everyone glared.

"Oh, hell, no!" Laurel, Quentin and Tommy said quickly.

"Unfortunately, she wasn't done with Ollie just yet and she'll again force him onto another mission soon enough." Sara said as everyone groaned, wondering what was she going to put Oliver through later.

"Maybe I should hack into A.R.G.U.S. and expose her." Felicity said.

"Not a bad idea but compromising national security, trust me, you  _don't_  want to do that." Sara warned, not that it dissuaded the blonde with the glasses as Sara's memory returned to Felicity working with Helix to break out Cayden James and what Cayden did later to the whole city.

**Oliver left and returned back to the safehouse as he, Tatsu and Maseo were trying to come up with a plan. Maseo said that Shrieve was more resourceful than Waller could ever be and that none of them would be able to leave Hong Kong alive.**

"Why make it any easier?" Felicity grumbled as everyone groaned.

**Oliver suggested to steal the vaccine from Shrieve.**

"Good idea." Quentin nodded.

**Later, Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu broke into one of Shrieve's bases as Oliver grabbed one of the soldiers in chokehold, demanding to know where the vaccine was. The man told where it was as Oliver knocked him out before they entered the laboratory. Oliver opened the cabinet and stole the vials with the vaccine and they quickly left before the soldiers would catch them.**

Everyone sighed in relief, not noticing the grim look on Sara's face.

**Later, they returned to the safehouse, as Oliver suggested inoculating himself, Maseo, Akio and Tatsu before he explained that he had stolen one of Shrieve's encrypted cellphones back in Shrieve's compound, containing orders for distributing the virus and he explained he intended to stop Shrieve.**

"Always gotta be the hero, do you?" Tommy smiled as everyone was proud of Oliver's selflessness.

**Tatsu protested that she wanted to help too, while Oliver protested he did not want them to get themselves killed, while Tatsu pointed out that she and Maseo were going to help him, whether Oliver liked it or not.**

"For so long he was on his own, he was used to relying on himself. He had convinced himself that people around him would always suffer, as the price of his sins and that he needed to be something else to protect them." Sara said as everyone looked sad at that Oliver felt like he needed to be alone in order  _not_  to hurt everyone else. "It took a long time for us to convince him that he would always have people in his life and his connection to them makes him human."

"Who talked some sense into him?" Diggle asked.

"You wouldn't believe me, if I told you." Sara said, remembering Malcolm, reluctantly, when Chase had kidnapped Oliver's friends and family as she clenched her teeth a moment later.

**Later, Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu were observing the soldiers loading the trucks and preparing the virus as they saw Shrieve put Alpha and Omega into some kind of a machine, combining the two parts, making the virus potent as they realized that Shrieve intended to unleash it on Hong Kong.**

"Oh, no…" Tommy said as everyone paled, vainly hoping that Oliver would stop it, despite that they knew what must have happened in Hong Kong.

**Oliver stole a car, much to Tatsu's surprise as they got in and followed the truck. On the road, the soldiers saw the car in the rearview mirror as they opened fire. Maseo went out, shooting at them before Oliver ordered Maseo to take the wheel as he climbed up through the opened sunroof and shot at them until he fell back and was hanging onto the trunk.**

Thea, Felicity, Moira and Laurel gasped as Roy, Tommy, Quentin and Diggle tensed.

**Maseo shot at the soldiers, while Oliver climbed back up before jumping into the truck, throwing two of the soldiers out, while fighting two of them until one of them pinned Oliver before through the sheet appeared a blade, impaling the soldier as he fell down, dead. Tatsu cut through the sheet and entered as Oliver grabbed the last soldier and knocked him down and broke his arm.**

"Nice." Diggle said.

"As much as Ollie had convinced himself that he needed to be alone, a lot of people have helped him, despite that he did not want them to." Sara said as everyone felt glad that Oliver had someone to look out for him.

**Tatsu climbed towards the driver's seat and threw him out, while Oliver opened the case, only to find out that it was empty.**

"Then where the hell is that virus?" Thea demanded as everyone was worried even more.

**They searched the whole truck before Tatsu approached one of the soldiers, glaring, pointing her sword at him as the soldier spat out blood. Tatsu ran the tip of her sword down the soldier's shirt right to his crotch as the soldier explained that it was in a food cart in Hong Kong as Maseo demanded to know where exactly it was.**

"Crap." Roy groaned as everyone realized things were about to get worse.

"Bamford…" Felicity read the soldier's nametag on his jacket. "Hmm…"  **[3]**

**Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu were scouring the city, searching for the food cart, while Tatsu realized that Maseo was worried about Akio. She also pointed out that they could not let the innocents of Hong Kong die either and if Maseo would leave them behind, he was just an empty shell and not a living person.**

"She's right." Sara said as Moira winced, ashamed of her participation in the Undertaking, despite that it was forced.

**Oliver saw a man with an earpiece looking at a food truck, where the man at the truck was opening up a vial.**

"Crap." Tommy swore as everyone paled.

"Please, tell me Oliver stops it." Felicity begged, although they all knew what was going to happen next.

**Oliver drew a gun, ordering for them to stop as the rogue operatives opened fire. The civilians took cover in panic as Oliver shot down one of the rogue operatives. Another one shot Maseo in his shoulder, while Tatsu cut down another. Oliver ordered for the man at the food truck to hand over the vial with the virus. The man got up and threw Oliver's gun away before they engaged in fistfight. The man was more skilled than Oliver, managing to subdue him before Oliver threw him away. Oliver dodged the kicks before he was knocked down. Oliver got up and tackled the man as a table with plastic bowls behind him crashed. The man got up and punched Oliver in his face before he lost the grip of the vial as it was flying in the air before it fell down on the ground and it shattered, while the liquid vapored as it touched the ground.**

"Oh, shit!" Diggle swore as everyone gasped, paled and tensed in horror.

"Oh, no…" Laurel said, horrified.

"Damn it!" Quentin groaned.

"Oh, my God…" Moira whispered, while everyone else was lost for words, only imagining the deaths of the innocents in Hong Kong.

**At the city limits, the radio broadcast announced a state of alert and emergency, ordering for the citizens to return home as some of the people were limping weakly, with blood filling their mouths before they collapsed to the ground, dying.**

Everyone stared in horror at the outbreak of the virus.

"Jesus…" Thea whispered.

"Were… were they able to cure it?" Felicity hoped.

"No." Sara shook her head.

**Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu walked down the street as Maseo assured Oliver that it was Shrieve's fault, noting they were lucky they were inoculated, while Tatsu wanted to get back to Akio. Then they noticed a truck that people ran towards, with men in hazmat suits inoculating them, while Oliver seemed confused since there was not a cure.**

"Then what the hell are…" Laurel widened her eyes in realization as she saw the uniforms. "Oh, no."

"Shrieve. He's trying to infect as many people as possible." Quentin realized, partly horrified and partly enraged.

"Those bastards." Diggle growled as everyone glared at the screen but Diggle in particular was enraged the most.

**Oliver, Tatsu and Maseo realized that Shrieve was trying to infect as many people as possible as Oliver fired into the air from his gun, causing for the people to scatter in panic as the soldiers opened fire. Oliver, Tatsu and Maseo took cover before Oliver and Maseo were shooting at them, covering Tatsu, who cut down one of the soldiers. Another soldier grabbed Oliver from behind before Tatsu cut him in the back. Oliver, Tatsu and Maseo then approached the truck, planting an explosive on it and running away as it exploded, destroying the virus.**

"Good." Moira said as everyone relaxed.

"But what about everyone else?" Felicity wondered.

"There was nothing they could do for them." Sara said and the atmosphere turned solemn.

**Oliver, Tatsu and Maseo went back to the safehouse to see the woman sheltering them dead on the ground, while Akio rushed to Maseo, who hugged him in relief, while Tatsu decided that they needed to leave.**

"Well, it's not like they can do anything else at this point." Roy said before turning to Sara. "Is it?"

Sara did not react, her face again just a blank, emotionless mask, which disturbed the viewers, how she learned to conceal her emotions.

**Oliver and the Yamashiros rushed down the streets as they saw the corpses, burned vehicles and men in hazmat suits taking care of the bodies.**

"Oh, my God…" Thea said, as everyone was horrified.

**Oliver and the Yamashiros entered a car as Maseo hotwired it. Tatsu consoled Akio, until she saw that he was bleeding from his mouth, much to her horror.**

"Oh, no…" Moira said, all of them horrified even more.

"No. Not him…" Quentin whispered. Losing a child in that way, it was one of the worst kinds of pain possible…

"But… he was inoculated." Roy said, confused.

"Kids like him don't have strong enough immune system to process the vaccine as fast as adults." Sara explained as everyone felt the temperature in the room drop suddenly.

"Did… did he make it?" Felicity hoped as everyone turned to Sara but she was unable to hold back tears, knowing how much did the Yamashiros mean to Oliver as everyone felt sympathy for Tatsu and Maseo.

"Oh, my God…" Diggle said, none of them able to imagine an innocent child dying so horribly and parents going through that kind of pain.

**Oliver, Tatsu and Maseo, who had Akio in his arms entered the drugstore, Oliver perplexed at why the vaccine was not working, while Maseo realized that Akio was too young and his immune system was not strong enough. Tatsu forced into Akio's mouth penicillin as the boy coughed out, while Tatsu tried to soothe him, singing a lullaby in Japanese.**

Everyone felt sad but Quentin and Moira felt greatest sympathies for Tatsu, parent losing their child like that must have felt horrible.

**Maseo pointed out that Shrieve's men could have made a cure. Oliver immediately protested but Maseo argued that he had to try, no matter how slim their chances were.**

"Did they have a cure?" Tommy wondered as they turned to Sara but they saw the pain in her eyes as they were getting wet as she remembered what did Maseo tell her about himself when he had arrived to Nanda Parbat. Suddenly, Moira, Thea, Quentin, Laurel and Felicity felt their eyes get wet from imagining Akio die like that, while Diggle, Roy and Tommy were horrified.

**Oliver nodded, agreeing to help Maseo as they went back to Shrieve's base. Maseo saw two soldiers at the entrance, while pointing out to Oliver that Waller had taken Oliver from Lian Yu because she had seen something in him.**

"And she used that for her own needs and purposes. Whoever or whatever she deems useful, she'll take it, whether they go willingly or not, not caring about the consequences or circumstances or who gets in her way to stop her." Sara said venomously as everyone felt a lot of hate towards Waller.

"I'll make sure she faces trial, when I talk with Lyla." Diggle said.

**Maseo pointed out that he needed the killer Oliver was, in order to save Akio.**

"I keep telling you, the only reason Ollie ever killed, was to save others. Never just for the fun of it." Sara said.

"Who was that creep, who tried to convince Oliver that he was a monster that enjoyed killing?" Quentin asked.

"His real name is Simon Morrison. Claybourne's illegitimate son. He had erased all traces of himself already, nowadays he goes by an alias, " _Adrian Chase_ ". He's always been a psychopath and after his father's death, Chase spent the following four years trying to destroy Ollie, learning everything he could about him and training, in order to be a match and maybe even better than Oliver could ever be and convince him that he destroys everything he touches and that people that Ollie loves, would suffer because of his sins." Sara said and everyone felt more sympathy for Oliver and were angered that there was someone so insane trying to destroy Oliver.

"When we get back, I'm gonna bust him." Quentin said.

"At least you'll be able to stop him before he learns too much and you won't be able to stop him." Sara said.

**Maseo and Oliver neared the soldiers as Oliver shot them down. Shrieve was at his table as he heard gunshots before Oliver and Maseo burst in, demanding the cure. Shrieve was unintimidated as he explained that China could destroy the U.S. economy because of owning a large portion of their national debt or with their army.**

"Paranoid bastard. There's no way China would ever do something like this." Moira growled.

"Who knows." Sara shrugged. "All I knew was that he was a corrupt, self-serving son of a bitch that needed to be stopped."

**Maseo, out of patience, shot Shrieve in his arm as Shrieve grunted in pain as Oliver warned that Maseo would kill him. Shrieve pointed towards the safe, saying the passcode was 4-5-8-7.**

"Hmmm..." Sara trailed off.

"What?" Everyone turned to her.

"Nothing. Just remembered something." Sara said, recalling how that number has been used numerous times in their past.  **[4]**

**Maseo punched in the code as he found a case with vials as Shrieve was giving them instructions on the dosage.**

"Was that…" Laurel trailed off.

"It wasn't a cure. That bastard was just stalling." Sara explained as everyone's blood boiled, glaring at Shrieve.

"That son of a bitch." Roy growled.

**Oliver grabbed Shrieve and dragged him back into the drugstore, where Tatsu was holding Akio, staring in front of her, frozen as Maseo opened the case with the vials, while Oliver cut Shrieve's restraints.**

**Tatsu's face was full of shock and sadness as Maseo measured his son's breathing.**

"Oh, no…" Moira said as the atmosphere in the room turned colder and everyone had solemn looks on their faces and eyes getting wet.

**Tatsu sobbed out that Akio was dead, while Maseo begged for their son to wake up.**

They all tried to put themselves together but neither Sara, Quentin, Moira, Thea, Felicity and Laurel could hold back their tears.

**Shrieve pointed out that Akio was as good as dead anyway and that there was no cure, explaining that the vials they stole, were full of insulin and that Shrieve was diabetic.**

Everyone glared at Shrieve hatefully.

"I hope you burn in hell forever, you son of a bitch." Quentin growled.

"Careful what you wish for." Sara warned.

**Oliver pulled out his gun, about to kill Shrieve but stopped himself when he saw the red spots on his shirt, realizing it were laser gunsights.**

"Great." Felicity grumbled.

**Shrieve gloated that he was about to tie up loose ends before he took Oliver's gun and that he was wired the whole time. Oliver tackled Shrieve down on the floor as Shrieve's men opened fire. Oliver pummeled Shrieve as soldiers burst in. Maseo grabbed a gun and shot down two of them as Oliver got up, picking his bow and arrow, shooting at one of them before rushing at them. Oliver threw one of them away and beat down two of the soldiers before he shot Shrieve at his leg as the corrupt rogue general groaned in pain.**

"Didn't work out so well for you, did it, you bastard?" Tommy sneered.

Sara shivered, worried about how they were going to react to what was going to happen next.

**Three days after the outbreak began, a man handed Tatsu and Maseo three metal urns with Akio's ashes on a tray, that Tatsu picked up and handed each of them to Oliver and Maseo as she said a prayer in Japanese for her dead son, while explaining that Akio loved Oliver like his own brother.**

Everyone felt deep sympathy for Tatsu's loss.

**Oliver returned back into the drugstore, where Shrieve was bound to a chair, gloating that his men would come looking for him. Oliver picked his bow and arrow, saying that Waller had taught Oliver some useful things as he notched an arrow.**

"Oh, my God…" Laurel said, all of them horrified.

"Please, tell me he's not gonna do what I think he is." Quentin said. As much as he wanted to do the same thing to Shrieve, none of them wanted to see Oliver torture him out of revenge.

"Ollie, no, don't do this, please…" Thea begged.

Sara was silent and Laurel, Felicity, Moira, Tommy, Roy and Thea immediately looked away, while Diggle and Quentin stared, unable to believe what Oliver was going to do.

**The scene fast-forwarded to later at night, with Oliver sitting down and his hands bloodied, in one of them holding a hammer and next to him was a toolbox with pliers, a saw and other tools and in front of him was Shrieve on the ground with closed eyes, bloodied and two arrows sticking out of his chest and one in his leg, while Tatsu and Maseo entered, horrified by seeing what Oliver had done. Oliver replied coldly that Shrieve had failed Hong Kong and Oliver was giving him the justice he deserved, while Tatsu protested that this was not justice, it was wrong.**

"No. It was wrong." Quentin said. None of them really blamed Oliver for what he did but they couldn't comprehend that Oliver would have done something so horrible.

**Maseo measured Shrieve's heartbeat, as he noticed that Shrieve was still alive but passed out because of the pain before Maseo drew his gun shot him in the head, putting him out of his misery.**

"Good riddance." Roy said.

"But Oliver… what he did…" Felicity trailed off, unable to process what she just saw.

"Once you let the darkness in, it never comes out." Sara said. "Since the island, since you saw him beat a man to death with a rock, Ollie had been trying to bottle up the darkness inside of him and what Shrieve did, made him let that darkness out. He just couldn't control it in himself anymore."

"Like I said before, war scraps off small pieces of one's soul until they become someone they don't recognize anymore." Diggle pointed out as everyone was stunned and felt sad for Oliver.

"His inner darkness, it's the one war Ollie found himself unable to win." Sara explained. "He learned back then that justice and vengeance were two completely different things. And it's something I needed to learn the hard way too."

Everyone turned to Sara and felt bad for her as well, only imagining the things she had to do, while in the League before turning back to the screen.

"We could have helped him." Thea said.

"Honestly, I'm not sure anyone could with things like these. That's why Ollie felt close to Helena. Because she had darkness inside of her too. Ollie wanted to help her control it but she gave into it, no matter how hard Ollie tried." Sara said.

"Wait a minute. Helena, as in Helena Bertinelli?" Quentin demanded and cursed himself for not putting it together earlier that Oliver was the Hood, considering that the Huntress did hang around him too.

"The reason Ollie let her in was because they were both deep in the darkness. Unlike her, Ollie was trying to fight it, while Helena embraced it." Sara said. "When she wouldn't listen to reason…"

"Oliver tried to take her down." Diggle finished as he and Quentin remembered what she did to McKenna, while Tommy winced, remembering Helena breaking his wrist and Thea shivered, thinking how lucky she was when Helena came to "visit" them in the manor.

"And we all know how that worked out." Sara said. "Look, I'm not going to justify what she did but… she's not evil. She's just… lost. Like I once was. Back then, I was just so buried in my own darkness I didn't see it."

"You're saying we should help her?" Quentin asked incredulously.

"I'm saying that some people you shouldn't give up on, no matter how lost they seem." Sara pointed out as everyone considered. "No matter how lost some people are, they can find their way back, if you're willing to help them find their way back to light."

They all nodded as they decided to help Oliver with his inner darkness and maybe give Helena a chance too.

**Later, Maseo went out as Tatsu followed him. Maseo then explained that he felt too weak to save Akio or to do what Oliver did, while Tatsu argued that what Oliver did, was horrible, allowing himself to become a monster, while Oliver listened, hurt. Maseo pointed out that he himself was without a soul and that Oliver wasn't any more of a monster than Maseo was. Tatsu's eyes were getting wet, realizing Maseo was going to leave her, pleading him _not_  to leave her but Maseo pointed out that being with her reminded him of failing his family, despite that Tatsu said that she loved him, while Maseo said that he did not deserve her love as he walked away, leaving Tatsu sad and heartbroken.**

Everyone looked at the Yamashiros in sympathy, feeling sad for them as they realized why did Oliver push them away and Quentin in particular remembered putting himself deep int work and pushing Dinah and Laurel away after the Gambit.

**Oliver wondered where was Maseo going as Tatsu said that he was going somewhere they could not follow him.**

"Where did he go?" Felicity wondered.

"To Nanda Parbat." Sara explained.

"Wait, he joined the League of Assassins?" Diggle demanded as everyone turned to her, stunned.

"That's how you know him." Quentin realized as Sara nodded.

"It wasn't any different from Malcolm. So consumed with guilt, grief and anger, he needed a way to channel it. When Maseo had joined the League, the man that Ollie knew back in Hong Kong, died with Akio. The League wants you to cut all ties to your past, although, it doesn't work for some of them. Few months later from your time, I returned home too. You did see that Malcolm had won, despite that Ollie and you beat him, Dig. So I came back, I needed to know how you were doing. But with the League hunting me, it wasn't easy." Sara explained. "Eventually, they released me."

"No offense but why would Ra's release you?" Diggle asked, puzzled.

"Let's just say he's always known I did not belong there." Sara said. "But… not all of you were happy to see me again. You were all in a tough spot."

Laurel and Quentin sighed. "Baby… it's all in the past now."

"Let's focus on what can we fix in the future." Laurel assured her.

"I hope we can." Sara nodded.

**Later in the morning, Oliver met Tatsu at the docks as Tatsu told Oliver that she was heading to Kumamoto in Japan into a monastery that she had wanted to show to her son, while Oliver offered her his condolences. Oliver told Tatsu that he was not going back home because of what he had done to Shrieve, not wanting to be around anyone he loved, with the darkness he was keeping in, wanting to instead learn to live with it.**

Everyone looked at Oliver sadly.

"I wish there was something we could do to help him." Laurel said.

"Maybe there is. You may not be the love of his life but he'll always be the love of yours. You've always kept him on a straight path and forced him to be better." Sara told Laurel, who smiled, glad that she could still bring light into Oliver's life. "I know you may not come back to each other… but don't let him push you away because he feels too far gone. Help him find his way back."

"I think we should all try." Tommy said. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah. You're right." Thea nodded.

"I agree." Quentin said.

**Tatsu argued about the message that Oliver had seen about saving Starling City, while Oliver pointed out that he was not the man Robert had believed him to be and that he needed to be alone, since he was too deep into darkness to be around anyone else. Tatsu hugged Oliver tightly as they parted ways.**

Everyone again felt sad for Oliver.

**Oliver turned to a ship that was labeled "Triton's Daughter, Coast City, U.S.A." as the screen faded to black.**

"Wait, he was in Coast City?" Thea demanded. "Few miles away from us…"

"He didn't feel like he deserved to be around you." Sara said.

"I wish we knew. I wish we knew how to help him." Laurel said.

"Wait… I remember from the newspapers two years ago some stories about an amateur vigilante in green hood, trying to catch drug dealers…" Quentin remembered.

Sara laughed. "I think you'll enjoy the beginning. But look, I think we should take a break and get something to eat before we get to Year Four, OK?"

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Felicity nodded as Sara turned off the screen and everyone got up from their seats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] That was a reference to Netflix Marvel's Iron Fist TV series. Kudos for those who got the reference * chuckles and winks * Still grumpy that Netflix cancelled their MCU TV shows.
> 
> [2] Honestly, at first, I was completely indifferent towards the whole "Mei, the twin sister" thing but in hindsight, it was quite dumb when you think about it and was probably mainly to guilt-trip Oliver even more. The writers' hate for Oliver apparently has no limits.
> 
> [3] Fun fact, the soldier that Tatsu interrogated, was named "Bamford", which is a reference to James Bamford, fight and stunt coordinator and choreographer and one of the directors and producers of Arrow.
> 
> [4] Another fun fact, 4587 seems to be a number used various times in Arrow. It was a passcode to access Shrieve's safe, and also a passcode Team Arrow used to break into Kord Industries to find the component to the device to resize Ray in 4x06, "Lost Souls", it also was Oliver's inmate number in Season 7, when he was in Slabside prison. It has also been used in Legends of Tomorrow, in 1x06 "Star City 2046", it was a warehouse number and also cell block number of the Legends in 1x15 "Destiny" and in 3x03 "Zari" it was an alleged cell number of Zari's brother Behrad.
> 
> But God, Season 4 was so awful I'm gonna hate writing the flashbacks.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	15. Interlude III - Break 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara fills the viewers in on some truths that they find themselves hard to accept, while getting reality checks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note and Disclaimer:
> 
> Not entirely sure about this chapter, since I'm not sure how interludes in this kinds of fics could look like.
> 
> I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"So, after we see all this, what do you think we should do, once we get back?" Roy asked as they were eating their lunch.

"Well, Sara brought us here, so that we'd stop treating Oliver like how he was before the island." Laurel pointed out. "And she's right, he's become something different. Something else."

"Yeah." Tommy nodded. "He tried to explain to me but I guess I was too stubborn to listen. I wish I had listened to him."

"He's definitely not the same person he was five years ago." Quentin nodded.

"Sara brought us here, so that we would treat Oliver better than how we have so far." Moira pointed out. "And from what she's telling us, we need to be ready for Slade as well."

"Who knows what other dangerous people might still be out there. Asides from Slade." Diggle said.

"You have no idea." Sara nodded as she entered the cantina.

"So… you've already said that Ollie should kill my Dad." Tommy said warily. "Look… as much as I'm not OK with it… the man my Dad was, died with my Mom. And you said that Ollie stopped killing because of me and because of that, someone else died."

Sara nodded, sighing.

"Who did Ollie lose?" Thea asked as they saw the look in her eyes.

Sara breathed out heavily. "I… I really don't want to relive it." She turned to Tommy and Laurel, both whom paled immediately, recognizing the look in Sara's eyes.

"I… I died?" Laurel realized.

"We both…" Tommy trailed off, not believing it.

The look in Sara's eyes told them everything they needed to know as Quentin gripped Laurel's arm tightly with his hand, while everyone paled.

"What? Laurel… Tommy… how?" Quentin asked, horrified as Sara breathed out.

"It's… it's complicated." Sara sighed. "But soon enough from today, you try to stop the Undertaking and disable the earthquake device that Malcolm plants under the Glades and Ollie and Dig faces off Malcolm. Ollie barely beats him but Malcolm still succeeds in leveling a large part of the Glades as it crumbles."

Everyone paled, wondering how many people died.

"Hundreds of innocents died." Sara said as she turned to Tommy. "Including you, Tommy."

Tommy paled as well as everyone looked horrified, with Thea holding her half-brother's arm tightly and Roy tensing, not wanting to see his home destroyed.

"Oh, my God…" Moira whispered, horrified by her being responsible for deaths of so many innocent people.

"Why… why would Tommy go to the Glades?" Laurel demanded.

"For you." Sara explained, leaving Laurel completely confused. "When the Undertaking happened, Ollie convinced Moira to expose herself and Malcolm at a press conference, trying to stop Malcolm, while telling you to stay away from the Glades. Dad and Felicity tried to disarm the earthquake device, while Ollie and Dig confronted Malcolm and they barely beat him. But you didn't listen, Laurel. You were in CNRI, when the device went off. None of you expected that Malcolm would have two devices, Felicity and Dad disarmed one but the other one destroyed eastern part of the Glades. Tommy came to CNRI to help you but he died."

Everyone looked solemn and saddened, noticing the tears in Sara's eyes.

"Oh, my God…" Roy whispered.

"You may have beaten Malcolm but you underestimated him." Sara said. "He survived anyway, and him being alive, later brought us all a lot of pain and misery. And after the Glades crumbled, I ran from Nanda Parbat, I needed to see you."

"But the League… wouldn't they come after you?" Diggle pointed out.

"They did." Sara nodded. "But Ollie and you guys tried to protect me." Everyone smiled, glad that Oliver would look out for Sara before they noticed the smile on her face and Laurel and Felicity felt a little hurt.

"Oh." Felicity said as Sara gave her a look.

"Felicity, I get that you're jealous but you're not…"

"No, not that." Felicity said. "I mean, I might have a crush on him but I mean… the attraction you two had back then, I didn't expect…"

"Sometimes, some feelings are so strong, they stay within you even after years." Sara said.

Felicity and Laurel felt hurt that Oliver and Sara got together but ultimately decided to accept it, although for the former it was not that easy, while the rest was only happy that Oliver eventually fell in love with someone who he certainly deserved.

"It took a while but eventually, I persuaded Ra's to release me." Sara said.

"How?" Diggle wondered.

"Like I said, Ra's did release Malcolm under the condition Malcolm would follow their code of honor. But because he did not ask Ra's for permission for some grand scheme such as the Undertaking and violated it by killing hundreds of innocents for his own needs, Ra's decided to hunt him down. With me…" Sara sighed. "Let's just say he's always known I don't belong in the League."

"Of course you don't, honey." Quentin and Laurel immediately assured her.

"You may have become a killer too but you only did what you had to do, to survive." Laurel said as Sara sighed. "Right?"

"Sara…" Quentin trailed off, not sure if he wanted to know what Sara was holding back.

Sara sighed. "I was never proud of what I did any more than Ollie and yeah, I only killed when I had no other choice left, including the people I killed when I served the League but… let's just say I spent some time in the darkness too, as much as Ollie did. But like I've said before, Ollie would never give up on me. He helped me pull back from that edge."

Everyone smiled, glad that Oliver was looking out for Sara.

"It took some time for me to face my own demons but eventually, we found our way back." Sara said. "But it took some time for you too to accept that we came back to each other." She turned to Felicity, Laurel and Quentin.

"Look, I don't blame Oliver for the boat anymore. If anyone deserves the blame, it's Malcolm Merlyn." Quentin said and everyone nodded in agreement. "And as long as you two looked out for each other and made each other happy, I could accept that."

"Me too." Laurel said and Felicity nodded as well, although both of them felt quite hurt that Oliver did not have deeper feelings for either one of them.

"You and Felicity did try to make things work with Ollie but neither of you could make it work with him because there was… too much baggage." Sara summed up.

Laurel couldn't say she disagreed, although Felicity wondered what did happen.

"Me? I mean, what did I…"

"Well, I think there's something else you need to come clean about." Sara changed the subject as she turned to Moira, who paled, realizing what Sara meant.

"I suppose I do." Moira sighed.

"OK, what don't we know this time?" Tommy grumbled.

"About a year before the Gambit, Oliver and Tommy attended one party and Oliver he… well… he became quite drunk and well… the next thing he remembered was waking up in bed with Samantha Clayton and he later found out that he had gotten her pregnant." Moira said and everyone, who knew Oliver, looked stunned before Laurel let out a humorless laugh, while Felicity was stunned.

"What?" Felicity asked.

"Samantha. Oh, that's just great. Do you know about any other girl he cheated on me with?!" Laurel demanded with a murderous tone, whirling on Tommy, who tensed at meeting her fierce glare.

"No. Not that I know of. OK, there may have been a lot parties we attended back in the day and there may have been a lot of booze and a lot of girls too but I wouldn't know if Ollie did score with any of them. Honestly, I'm surprised I did not knock up someone as well, as far as I know." Tommy admitted.

"OK, but how do  _you_  know about it?" Quentin asked Moira, who paled, realizing she had to come clean as she sighed.

"When Oliver found out, he told me and I wrote Miss Clayton a check for million dollars, if she lied about losing the child and moving to Central City." Moira explained, reluctantly, much to everyone else's dismay, although neither Diggle or Roy were really surprised.

"You robbed Oliver of his chance to knowing his own child." Quentin sneered, all of them giving her judgmental looks.

"I knew that Oliver was not ready for that kind of responsibility and I made sure my grandchild had a good life." Moira argued. "I was going to tell Oliver eventually."

"Like how you would have come clean about my real parentage or the Undertaking?" Thea scoffed and Moira winced and sighed.

"You're right. Like I said before, there should be no more secrets between us. He might hate me… but I hope he will understand. If not… I guess I'll have to live with it." Moira said.

Sara considered telling them truth about Emiko as well but… she decided that it was too late for them and Oliver attempting to fix things with Emiko, considering that Emiko had known about the Gambit being sabotaged and decided to let Robert die.  **[1]**

"Just as how you're gonna live with the public scorning you for admitting to have a part in the Undertaking." Sara said. "I'm not going to lie, they won't hate just you but Ollie and Thea too. You'll all become targets to the public."

Thea paled as Tommy, Roy and Laurel held her hands protectively and Quentin considered putting Thea into protective custody.

"What I'm trying to say, is that a lot of you later turned your backs on Ollie, either because he had lied to you, for a good reason and your own protection, in his defense, or because you thought you could not trust him or that you did not need him." Sara explained. "You need to know that Ollie will always need you and you can't turn your backs on him, despite that he may try to convince himself of otherwise that he's better off alone. He's always been trying to make the best out of a bad situation he was in. But a lot of you later convinced yourselves that you knew better than him because of some mistakes he had made.

And convincing him  _not_  to kill, that's what later led to Laurel dying. Mainly because you three convinced him to give up killing." She turned to Felicity, Diggle and Tommy and Quentin held Laurel even tightly as they all paled. "Ollie had a chance to kill someone very dangerous. His name is Damien Darhk and he… let's just say he was Ra's Slade. His best friend before they turned on each other. Ollie had a chance to kill him but you convinced Ollie to put him in prison. But Darhk later escaped and killed Laurel."

They all grew even paler, white as sheet, ashamed of judging Oliver for killing, when they realized that he had no other choice left. While they were not fine with Oliver killing, if it meant protecting the people he loved, they could move past it, although Tommy and Felicity in particular had a hard time accepting it.

"Well… if he'd kill to save my little girls… I can accept that. Although I can't promise I won't stop going after him. I'll still have to." Quentin admitted.

"But are you going to help him, if he'll need you?" Sara asked Quentin, who nodded immediately.

"Yeah. Yeah, I will." Quentin said.

"Who… who exactly was this… Damien Darhk?" Roy asked as Sara took a breath.

"He and Ra's were the left and right hands of the previous Ra's. "Ra's al Ghul" is a title in the League, as their leader. One of them was chosen as his successor and was supposed to kill Darhk but Darhk escaped and founded his own organization called H.I.V.E. to support his agenda." Sara explained. "There are magical waters called "Lazarus pits". It's what rejuvenated Ra's for centuries and is able to heal any injury, no matter how lethal or can bring people back from the dead but people who are exposed to those waters, can change drastically. That's how Ra's and Darhk were able to live beyond any natural lifespan. Darhk eventually discovered a magical idol that you'll see in the later footage, granting him great power."

"Magic? Really?" Diggle asked, puzzled. _First time travel, then super-soldier serum, now magic…_

"Like I said, there are a lot of things beyond one's comprehension, Dig." Sara said. "Year Four will show you Ollie's first encounter with magic. And that's another reason why Ollie wasn't able to stop Darhk. Because you had convinced him to imprison Darhk, he had a chance to recover his powers and that's how he killed Laurel."

Quentin and Tommy immediately held Laurel protectively, while Tommy and Felicity, while not fine with it, were trying to accept that Oliver would have to kill, if it meant protecting the people he loves.

"We'll stop any son of a bitch that comes after us." Moira promised.

"Hell yeah, we will." Roy said.

Sara nodded. "Look, can you return to the viewing room? There's something I need to speak with Dig about, in private."

They all nodded as Sara and Diggle were alone in the cantina.

"What is it, Sara?" Diggle asked.

"It's about your brother. You're not going to like it." Sara said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] As Stand with Ward and Queen pointed out in his story "Whatever it takes", the writers' hate for Oliver is disturbing and the Emiko plot ruins both Moira and Robert as characters, with both of them however good people deep down with too many flaws to overlook and it basically ruins the basis of Oliver's crusade. The writers apparently keep finding new ways to spite Oliver and just as Stand, I never even hated Felicity or Iris as much as Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle or Beth Schwartz apparently hate Oliver. I hate Iris even more than Felicity but none of them nowhere as much as they seem to hate Oliver.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	16. Back to Lian Yu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diggle is disturbed by the revelation about Andy as they see Waller forcing Oliver to return back to Lian Yu and his struggle with his inner darkness, while also seeing Oliver's first encounter with magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

The viewing party was at their seats as Moira turned to Felicity.

"Do you know why would Sara want to talk with Mr. Diggle in private?" Moira inquired.

"Not really." Felicity admitted. "I guess it's some future stuff that…" She stopped, when they heard the door open and Diggle entered, clearly upset, with a folder in his hand. "John. Is everything OK?"

Diggle glowered and sighed, anger and disappointment visible on his face. "No."

"What is it?" Laurel asked as Diggle showed them the folder in his hand that Quentin opened and everyone widened their eyes as they looked into it.

"Whoa. Is this true?" Felicity demanded.

"Oh, my God…" Quentin said, disturbed, while Moira swallowed, cursing herself for not double-checking Diggle when she hired him as Oliver's bodyguard.

"It's legit." Sara said as she entered, sad as well.

"God, I… I'm so sorry, Dig. I don't even know what to say." Tommy told Diggle, who nodded.

"Don't bother. I guess I never really knew my brother at all." Diggle sighed as he sat on his seat.

"And the worst thing is that Darhk later recruited Andy and he became a backstabbing bastard, because of which Laurel got killed." Sara summed up as everyone paled.

"Do… do you want to talk about it?" Felicity asked Diggle.

"I… I honestly don't think there's anything you can say to make this any easier." Diggle said. "I'm not even sure…"

"With Darhk, you definitely should kill him, Andy… I don't know. On one hand, I want him dead for betraying you but… you shouldn't have to have blood of your family on your hands." Sara said.

"Guess when it comes to it, we'll just have to find a way to deal with it." Diggle said.

"Why did you show him this?" Quentin wondered, knowing that every secret Sara has revealed, has been revealed for a reason.

"Because the group he worked with, Shadowspire, Ollie is going to cross paths with them in the recording I'm about to turn on. And well, what you're about to see is going to be something beyond your imagination later." Sara warned.

They all wondered how worse it could get for Oliver. First mercenaries, then super-soldiers, then super-virus, now magic…

**Across the rooftops of Coast City, a lowlife criminal was running away, when Oliver, wearing Shado's hood and with a bow and quiver cornered him to the edge of the roof, angry at the man selling drugs because of which six people died, four of them being kids included.**

Roy, Moira, Tommy, Quentin and Laurel glared, while Thea winced, thinking how lucky she was.

"Now I don't blame Oliver for what he did to the Count." Quentin said and no one disagreed with him.

**The man pulled out a gun but Oliver fired an arrow, disarming him before Oliver rushed at him. Oliver blocked the man's punches with his bow before Oliver hit him in the chest with his bow and whacked him in the face, knocking him out. Oliver then proceeded to beat the man up with his bow repeatedly until he stopped as he saw the blood, remembering what he did to Shrieve.**

"My God…" Moira said, as everyone was stunned and disturbed by how much did Oliver struggle with the darkness.  **[1]**

**Disturbed, Oliver walked away and as he went down the fire escape onto an alley, he saw a familiar face as Waller approached him, pointing out that he has chosen an unusual hobby.**

"Great. What the hell that bitch wants now?" Felicity grumbled as they glared at the screen.

"Knowing her, it's nothing good for Oliver." Quentin said.

"You're right on the marble." Sara nodded as everyone groaned, wondering how bad it was about to get for Oliver.

**In the bar, Oliver wondered how did Waller find him, while Waller said that the world was too small for someone like Oliver Queen to disappear, as she also noted that she had expected Oliver to return home to Starling.**

"I wish he had." Thea sighed as everyone looked sad, asides from Quentin, Diggle and Sara.

"He didn't feel like he deserved to be around any of you." Quentin pointed out.

"Sometimes, people need to fight with their own demons on their own. And the people they love trying to help, usually, they end up making things worse instead." Diggle said.

"That doesn't mean he should have pushed you all away, although, it's not like it was an easy choice to make for him." Sara explained, while everyone else felt great deal of pity and sympathy for Oliver.

**Oliver said that he did not want to be near his family, while Waller noted that it was because of what Oliver had done to Shrieve and that she had read his autopsy report and that she was impressed by Oliver.**

**Oliver wondered what did Waller want, while she replied that she wanted to help him, to which Oliver scoffed.**

"Don't even think about taking my son away from me again, you cold-hearted bitch." Moira glared with so much hate that everyone scooted away from her nervously, even Quentin and Diggle.

**Oliver laughed humorlessly as he drank another glass of his drink as Waller said that Oliver felt like he did not deserve to go home because he believed that he was a monster because of what he had done in Hong Kong and that Oliver was trying to channel his killer instinct into something useful, since he could not change who he was deep within. Oliver scoffed that he did not need a therapist, while Waller pointed out that him wearing the hood and the grease paint on his eyes suggested otherwise.**

None of them could help themselves but laugh.

"Yeah, when you think about it, the grease paint is ridiculous." Quentin said.

"Like I said, he should wear a mask." Sara said.

"I have some ideas." Felicity nodded.

**Waller said that Oliver should stop running from his inner darkness and instead should try to embrace it and that sometimes, the only way out was through.**

"No." Diggle said. "That never ends well. When people give into their darkness, they slowly become someone they don't recognize anymore and can end up hurting people they love, even if they do not intend to."

"Yeah." Sara said sadly, remembering what she herself almost did to Roy, when he had hurt Sin and Thea under the influence of Mirakuru, which led her to run away from Oliver.

**Oliver narrowed his eyes, wondering what Waller had in mind before he suddenly felt dizzy as everything started to blur, while the two men at the table behind Waller approached Oliver. Oliver turned around to see more men approach him before he realized that Waller had put a drug into Oliver's drink and that he was surrounded by A.R.G.U.S. agents, while Oliver fell down and Waller said that Oliver should remember that she was just trying to help, when he woke up.**

"Oh, hell, no, not again!" Tommy snarled as everyone glared at the screen.

"She's forcing him onto another mission?!" Thea demanded, enraged.

"Yeah. And this is gonna make Hong Kong look like afternoon picnic." Sara said as everyone was worried how bad it was going to be for Oliver.

**When Oliver woke up, he looked around to notice that he was in a plane in the cargo area, with a man in suit and another man in standard A.R.G.U.S. uniform. Oliver got up, demanding to know what was going on.**

**The man in suit relayed a message from Waller that she was thanking Oliver for "agreeing" to accept his mission, while the other man handed Oliver two backpacks.**

" _Agreeing_?!" Everyone repeated, outraged.

"More like forcing him to do something he doesn't want to, again!" Thea snarled.

"I swear to God, I'm gonna make sure she's gonna pay and that she's gonna spend the rest of her days in deepest darkest hole in the worst black site I know." Diggle vowed.

"She wouldn't deserve anything less." Sara said.

**Oliver tried to protest but the man in the suit aimed a gun at him, saying they were in a hurry and that Oliver was going to jump out of the plane with the backpack and the parachute. Oliver wanted to know why was Waller doing this to him, while the agent pointed out that she must have liked him.**

"That doesn't make him her pawn." Moira growled.

"She doesn't own him, she can't do this!" Thea protested.

"I've told you, Waller doesn't care about others, as long as she gets her way, no matter the consequences or who or what tries to stop her." Sara reminded.

**The agent said that Oliver knew the terrain and that Oliver needed to infiltrate the area, assess the threat and report back, with communication gear in his pack, while the agent pulled the lever and opened the cargo door.**

"What threat? Where is the mission?" Laurel wondered.

"You'll see." Sara said.

**The man instructed Oliver on how to use the parachute before Oliver turned around to see a familiar island.**

"Are you kidding me, she's sending him back to that hellhole?!" Tommy exclaimed as everyone was beyond furious.

"Why on Earth didn't he end up on Aruba or somewhere?" Felicity grumbled.

**Oliver was confused before he got kicked in the face, causing for him to fall off the plane and Oliver parachuted down on the ground before he groaned. As Oliver got up, a man in a military outfit knocked Oliver down, demanding to know who Oliver was as Oliver raised his hands in surrender, down on his knees. Oliver then turned around, grabbing the man's rifle and knocking him down. The man pulled out a knife but Oliver grabbed it and jammed it into the soldier's chest as he fell down, dead.**

Everyone tensed but well, the weren't really disturbed, considering that it was self-defense.

**Oliver dragged the dead soldier before he opened his backpack and found a communication device as he informed Waller that he was on the ground. Waller instructed him to infiltrate and earn their trust.**

"Whose trust? Never mind." Quentin said quickly.

"Shadowspire." Sara said as everyone was surprised, she wasn't giving them vague answer but Diggle widened his eyes.

"Wait, Shadowspire as in…"

Sara nodded. "You might recognize the man leading them on the island."

Everyone was now worried about Oliver, wondering how bad it was going to be, considering what they have just read about in the file Sara had given to Diggle.

**Oliver paced down the forest as he put down the backpack and pulled out goggles and saw what seemed to be farming area.**

"What are they growing? Drugs?" Quentin wondered.

"Yeah." Sara said as everyone glared, while Thea and Roy shivered.

**Oliver wondered what was going on before he saw one of the soldiers grabbing one of the laborers by her hair.**

The viewers' glare intensified.

**Oliver put down the goggles, backpack and his jacket, ripping his shirt at some parts before covering his arms and hands in dirt.**

"What is he doing?" Felicity asked.

"She did say "infiltrate"." Diggle reminded. "I guess he's trying to look like a castaway who has had it very rough to earn their trust."

**Oliver turned to the dead soldier and picked him up, taking him into another part of the forest and threw him down before running away from the explosion.**

"And let me guess, this is how he attracts the rest of those guys to earn their trust." Tommy said as Diggle, Quentin and Sara nodded.

**Few moments later, more soldiers appeared, surrounding Oliver. Oliver warned them that there was a minefield around them, which was what killed their friend, while another soldier wanted to know who Oliver was. Oliver told them his name, while lying that he had been stranded on the island for three years. Another soldier said that they should take Oliver to Reiter to decide what to do with him.**

"Is it going to be as bad as with Fyers with this Reiter guy?" Roy asked.

"Not… at first." Sara said as everyone was worried about how bad it was going to be for Oliver.

"Wait, I think I saw him in Afghanistan, when I served there with Andy. God, if I had known…" Diggle sighed.

"Don't kick yourself, Dig, Andy had put a wool around your eyes. But I hope you'll learn  _not_  to have a blind spot around family either." Sara said.

**The soldiers accompanied Oliver to the command tent, where there was a black man in same outfit as the rest of the soldiers, who recognized Oliver immediately, considering that Oliver was a minor celebrity on the other side of the world.**

"Well, at least he recognized him, unlike Fyers." Thea noted.

**Reiter politely gestured Oliver to sit down as Oliver thanked Reiter for rescuing him, while Reiter shook his head, saying that they were not rescuing Oliver, since the first thing Oliver would do, once he got home, would be telling the world what Reiter's men were doing on the island, while Oliver protested that he had no idea what they were doing.**

"He's not gonna care. To him, Oliver is a loose end." Diggle said, while everyone was worried.

"Don't worry, he's not going to kill him or torture him at this moment." Sara assured them as they relaxed.

**Reiter said that he could not send Oliver home despite that but then Reiter noted that he had no reason to kill Oliver.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

"Thank God…" Moira breathed out, none of them wanting to see Oliver get tortured again.

**Reiter then noted that Oliver survived three years on the island alone, which meant that Oliver had skills, intelligence and qualities that would prove very useful, while noting that Oliver could replace Reiter's man that just stepped on a landmine.**

"Crap." Thea said.

"I'm guessing he doesn't have a choice, does he?" Quentin asked.

"Not really." Sara said as everyone looked worried again. "I'm not going to lie, you're about to see Ollie do things he hated himself for doing but he had to do them to survive. I just don't want you to condemn him for what you're about to see him do."

Everyone was worried what other awful things Oliver was going to do, considering what they had seen him do to Shrieve.

**Later, the soldiers paced down the fields as one of the laborers fell down, exhausted, while one of them, a dark-haired woman with thick Russian accent approached him, saying that he needed water but Richards, one of the soldiers retorted that they did not care and that the laborers needed to get back to work. The woman protested that all of their workers would die from heat stroke before Oliver, with his hair cut, like how he looked like in the present, approached her, now wearing the same outfit the soldiers did, coldly told her that they did not care and that they should get back to work.**

"What?" Laurel asked, confused.

"Infiltrate and go undercover." Sara reminded.

"Yeah, I know but… I never expected him to become a soldier." Laurel said.

"I guess none of us did." Diggle said, ashamed of him telling Oliver that he was no soldier when Oliver had revealed his secret to him.

"I'm guessing it did not work for long." Quentin said, already suspecting from Oliver's luck.

"Well… Ollie's cover worked for as long as it could." Sara admitted. "Keep watching and you'll see what happened."

**Oliver was on patrol, watching the laborers as the woman that had been defending one of the tired workers, earlier, glowered at him, muttering something about a fish in the water as Oliver approached her.**

"Well, I can sense that girl's gonna be trouble already." Quentin said.

"Not exactly." Sara said. "I don't want to reveal too much but let's just say that Taiana and Ollie got off on the wrong foot."

"Like Tatsu?" Moira asked.

"Kind of…" Sara said.

They were all worried about how ugly was it going to be between Oliver and the woman.

**Taiana explained that she knew about Oliver from the stories the soldiers were saying about him, a rich kid that washed on the shores of Lian Yu and she was assuming him to be an arrogant, entitled, spoiled brat that thought that the world was at his feet to his command and that Lian Yu must have felt fitting for him, with the slaves at his heel.**

"Hey!" Tommy and Thea exclaimed, offended.

"Well, in her defense, can you blame her?" Quentin reasoned and Tommy and Thea were silent.

"She'll come around later." Sara promised as they relaxed.

**Oliver was silent before one of the workers ran off, while the bearded soldier, Conklin, alarmed everyone as Oliver followed the runner. Oliver tackled the runner and picked him up as Conklin approached Oliver, while the runner was on his knees before Conklin whacked him in the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking the runner out and telling Oliver how to deal with the troublemakers.**

"Bully. Great." Roy grumbled as everyone glared at Conklin.

"I can already tell he's gonna be trouble for Oliver." Diggle said.

"You have no idea." Sara nodded.

**Oliver and Conklin dragged the runner down the field as Conklin advised Oliver _not_  to hold back, since the workers would only respond to brute force.**

"Bastard." Diggle growled. "I know men like him. Because he has power, he thinks he's entitled to treat people weaker than him like cockroaches."

"Is he gonna get his?" Roy asked.

"Not soon enough." Sara said as everyone groaned, suspecting that Conklin would be trouble for Oliver.

**Oliver asked what was the product they were harvesting as Conklin explained that it was called "Slam", genetically modified hybrid of heroin and cocoa leaves.**

"Something doesn't add up. I don't think Waller would send Oliver on Lian Yu to infiltrate Reiter's operation if it was only about drugs." Diggle said.

"Then what is it? Magic?" Felicity asked.

"You'll see later." Sara promised as everyone chuckled.

**Another soldier approached Conklin, explaining that the workers must have stolen a portion of Slam as Conklin realized that the runaway was a distraction, ordering other soldiers to round the workers up, making Oliver wonder what were they going to do.**

"Uh-oh…" Felicity said as everyone was worried.

**Conklin explained he wasn't trusting the workers, who were on their knees with their hands behind their heads, warning he was going to execute them one by one if they did not confess. When none of them stepped up, Conklin executed the worker in front of him.**

The ladies gasped, while Diggle, Tommy, Roy and Quentin glared.

"And here I thought Slade on Mirakuru and Fyers were bastards." Tommy said.

"Oh, this was just the surface with Conklin." Sara warned, making them wonder how dangerous he was.

**Oliver intervened as Conklin was about to kill another worker as he suggested to teach the workers about pain.**

"Oh, please, tell me he's not going to do what I think he is." Felicity groaned as everyone shivered, not wanting to see Oliver torture someone again.

"It's not going to be as extreme as with Shrieve." Sara said, although it did not assure them much.

**One of the workers was restrained to a chair, whimpering and screaming in pain as Oliver cut into his leg with a knife, making Conklin wonder where did Oliver learn that.**

"You sick bastard." Diggle growled, all of them glaring at Conklin for taking pleasure in inflicting pain.

**Oliver explained that he had learned on the island how to inflict pain as he kept on cutting into the man, making him scream even louder before Taiana stepped up as Conklin aimed his gun at her. Taiana confessed that she had stolen the drugs and that she wanted to give the workers something for the pain because they were too tired.**

"Noble but not clever." Quentin noted.

"This is not gonna end well." Laurel said.

**Conklin glared, demanding to know where the Slam was but Taiana replied that it was already gone and that he was more than welcome to kill her. Conklin was about to pull the trigger before Oliver intervened, pointing out that Reiter would not be happy if Conklin was executing his workforce. Conklin sneered, pointing out that a thief would be an exception, while Oliver suggested that he would make her disappear as Conklin let Oliver deal with her.**

They all wondered what was Oliver going to do.

**Oliver dragged Taiana down the forest as she scolded him angrily for torturing the laborer. Oliver ignored her complaints, ordering her to move faster as another soldier, Richards, was following them. Taiana had assumed that Oliver wanted to rush her death, while Oliver explained that he was trying to put some distance between them. Taiana assumed that it was Richards.**

"Why would he… oh." Felicity stopped as they all realized what was Oliver doing.

"Clever." Quentin said.

**Richards quickly followed them as Oliver and Taiana crouched to take cover as the ground under Richards exploded and he flew in the air before falling down, dead, with Oliver explaining that he was trying to actually put some distance between them and a landmine.**

"Good riddance." Thea said.

**Taiana looked frightened and confused as Oliver assured her that he would not kill her but that she needed to trust him or they would both die, as Taiana nodded in understanding.**

"Ollie…" Laurel said, all of them proud of and impressed by his selflessness.

"As much as I admire what he did, something tells me it's going to blow up in his face later." Quentin said.

"Looks that way." Diggle nodded, making them all wonder how would Oliver's plan backfire later.

"No spoilers." Sara said.

**Oliver led Taiana into the cavern, where he had been hiding with Yao Fei, when Oliver had shipwrecked on Lian Yu the first time, telling her where to find fresh water and food. Taiana was confused by why was Oliver risking his life for her.**

"Because he's a good person." Laurel said as everyone nodded.

**Taiana pointed out that other soldiers would come looking for him as Oliver explained that she would have to do something for him and that she was not going to like it.**

"What?" Thea wondered.

"I guess we'll see." Moira said as everyone chuckled.

**Later, Oliver returned to the command tent as Conklin wondered what did happen, while Oliver explained that Richards had stepped on a mine and that Oliver caught Taiana later and disposed of her. Conklin was however skeptical, since two soldiers had already been killed by a landmine in a short period, not long after they found Oliver.**

"Uh-oh." Roy said.

"He's not stupid. He knows something's up with Oliver." Diggle said.

"How much trouble is this guy gonna bring?" Tommy asked.

"A lot." Sara warned as everyone was worried about how was Oliver going to deal with Conklin.

**Conklin demanded to see Taiana's body as Oliver accompanied him down the forest. Oliver explained that he had choked Taiana to death.**

"Oh." They all said, realizing what Oliver did.

"Oh, man, he's gotta teach me how to do that." Tommy said.

"I've asked him that already. He said " _No_ "." Diggle grumbled as Tommy and Roy were disappointed and Moira, Quentin, Laurel and Thea relaxed, not wanting Oliver to teach either of them some of his moves.

**Conklin said that he was skeptical about Oliver but he knew that Oliver was a stone-cold killer.**

"That's not true. Only a fool or a psychopath would believe that." Sara growled and Laurel, Felicity, Thea, Quentin and Tommy again felt shame for condemning Oliver's alter-ego.

**Conklin warned Oliver _not_  to lie to him and that Oliver was afraid of the darkness within himself, which Conklin saw.**

"He's not wrong about that." Sara said.

"How… how did he deal with it?" Thea wondered.

"Year Five." Sara said as everyone was curious about what did happen.

**Oliver questioned Conklin, whether he should be afraid of Oliver but Conklin said that he and Oliver were just the same.**

"My brother is nothing like you, you son of a bitch." Thea sneered as everyone glared at Conklin.

**Oliver accompanied Conklin into the cavern, where Taiana's seemingly lifeless body was on the rock as Conklin touched her neck, measuring her heartbeat and smiled in satisfaction. Conklin ordered Oliver to dispose of Taiana's body, since the cavern could be useful as he left. As soon as Conklin left, Oliver tapped a pressure point on Taiana's neck, waking her up as he assured her. Taiana wanted to know where did Oliver learn that, while Oliver explained that he has not always been alone on Lian Yu.**

"He had good people looking after him." Laurel noted as everyone smiled that Oliver had friends to rely on.

**Conklin walked down the forest before he found under the leaves a backpack that he looked into, containing Oliver's communication device as Conklin glared.**

"Oh, no…" Moira said.

"That's not good." Quentin said, all of them worried about Oliver.

**Back in the camp, Conklin confronted Oliver, showing him the backpack with communication device. Oliver played dumb, making Conklin drag him into Reiter's command tent. Reiter was beating up a blonde man with white shirt and red tie and black jeans as Oliver and Conklin entered. Conklin accused Oliver of being a mole as Oliver denied it. Reiter interrupted Conklin as he turned to the man he was beating up. The man spoke with unusual British accent as Reiter punched him again, while the man faced Oliver, asking for a cigarette.**

Sara laughed. "Oh, I miss you, old friend."

"You know him too?" Laurel asked as everyone turned to her.

Sara nodded, smiling. "John Constantine. He… well, he's quite an impossible ass but a good friend. He actually saved mine and Ollie's lives a while back."

Everyone smiled, glad that they had a good friend.

"Who is this guy exactly?" Felicity wondered.

"A sorcerer. Kind of like Darhk but he uses different kind of magic." Sara said.

"What happened to him?" Roy asked.

"He's in Hell." Sara said.

"Oh. What happened?" Tommy asked.

"No, I mean, he's literally in Hell. Blazing fire, the Devil, demons." Sara said as everyone gapped. Supernatural was another difficult pill to swallow, asides from time travel and multiverse.

"Oh." Thea said, all of them having a hard time absorbing that magic was real.

"I swear to God, Sara, my life was somewhat normal before you showed up." Diggle muttered as Sara giggled.

**Constantine introduced himself as Reiter showed them a map of Lian Yu. Oliver recognized the landmarks, much to Reiter's satisfaction as he requested that Oliver would bring to him whatever Constantine was looking for. Conklin protested that Oliver could not be trusted, while Reiter ordered him to follow Oliver. Constantine suddenly muttered something in an unknown language as Conklin assumed that he was praying.**

**Constantine smirked as he showed his uncuffed hands.**

"Nice! Oh, man, I gotta learn magic sometimes too." Tommy said, enthusiastic.

"That might not be the best idea, Tommy." Sara warned, remembering what happened with Astra Logue.  **[2]**

**Conklin pulled out his gun but Constantine punched him in his face and disarmed him. Reiter drew his gun too but Constantine aimed at Oliver's head, ordering for Reiter to drop his gun and get down on his knees.**

"Oh, don't you dare." Laurel growled as everyone glared at Constantine.

"Don't worry. He acts a lot like an ass but he's a good man in his core." Sara assured them as they relaxed.

**Reiter complied, warning Constantine that he would not escape Lian Yu, while Constantine smirked that he was not planning to escape yet. Constantine dragged Oliver outside towards one of the jeeps, demanding for Oliver to lead him to the place on the map before he shot the tires of the vans.**

**Oliver drove the jeep down the island before stopping as they went out, with Constantine aiming his gun at him. Oliver demanded to know what was going on, while Constantine explained that Reiter was planning something more dangerous than drugs and that on the island were more dangerous things than Oliver had thought.**

"Mercenaries and missile launchers, super-soldier serum, now magic?" Thea drawled. "What's next? Aliens?"

Sara cleared her throat, deciding  _not_  to blow their minds.

**Oliver whirled on Constantine, glaring but Constantine holstered his gun, assuring Oliver he was not a bad person and was actually on the side of angels.**

"Angels? Literal angels?" Felicity asked. "White gowns, wings and glorioles?"

"The part with the wings is true." Sara said as everyone was imagining how would actual angels look like.

**Constantine then pointed out that angels would usually screw him over.**

"What?" Tommy asked, puzzled.

"There was one angel who tried to bring the apocalypse." Sara said. "Don't ask, even I had a hard time understanding what happened."  **[3]**

**Constantine picked some leaves from the bushes as he said an enchantment in an unknown language, revealing a hatch under the dirt on the spot where Oliver and Constantine were standing on.**

"Whoa." Roy said, all of them amazed.

**Oliver was surprised as Constantine drawled sarcastically if Oliver has ever seen magic.**

"My Dad may be a magician but this is… this is next level." Tommy said, impressed.

"You know why I never do drugs? Because of stuff like this." Diggle said.

**Constantine opened the hatch, making a remark about Alice and the rabbit hole.**

Everyone snickered before wondering what was going to happen next.

**Constantine lit up torches in the underground tunnel, explaining to Oliver that there were things beyond one's imagination. Oliver then saw a doorsill on the ground with carved symbols.**

"Is someone else getting Indiana Jones vibes?" Tommy asked.

"I hope there's not a giant boulder waiting somewhere." Quentin said as all of them turned to him, surprised. "What? I brought your Mom to the cinema to watch " _Raiders of Lost Ark_ " when we were young." He told Laurel as everyone chuckled.

**Oliver sarcastically said that the writing said "DO NOT ENTER", while Constantine corrected him that it was for the worthy. Constantine cuffed Oliver to the shackles on the wall as he entered a room with a ruby jewel on metal handle on a pedestal, apparently a scepter. A moment later, Oliver followed him, showing Constantine that he had freed himself from the cuffs and noting that Constantine was not the only one with tricks.**

Everyone snickered.

**Constantine remarked Oliver's skills as he pulled the scepter out.**

"Has this guy ever watched  ** _Indiana Jones_**?" Tommy demanded, all of them suspecting what was going to happen next as they groaned.

**From above suddenly fell down metal spikes and Oliver pushed Constantine away before they would impale either of them. Oliver said that he was not a bad guy either as he helped Constantine get up.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**As they went out, Constantine thanked Oliver and said that he owed Oliver one. Oliver demanded to know what was going on as Constantine explained that the thing he had taken was Orb of Horus. A grimoire, an ancient spell book, that Constantine planned to store away from Baron Reiter to make sure it would not fall into wrong hands.**

"He's a good guy." Felicity noted. "But on the other hand, he acts like quite an ass."

"You have no idea." Sara said.

**Constantine warned Oliver that Reiter was about more than just drugs and then he offered to bring Oliver home as Constantine had a boat on southern shore. Oliver protested that he could not leave the slaves behind.**

Everyone smiled, proud of Oliver's selflessness.

**Oliver also pointed out that he could not come back with empty hands, since Conklin was already suspecting him enough. Constantine nodded in understanding as he knocked the orb off the handle, pointing out that Reiter would be interested only in bling anyway and that in the handle was the real power. Constantine suddenly ran the tip of the handle down the tattooed symbols on his right arm, saying something in an unknown language as the symbols suddenly disappeared. Then he touched Oliver's abdomen as the symbols suddenly appeared on his hip, as Oliver was shocked by what did Constantine do.**

"What is that?" Roy demanded.

"It's something Ollie's gonna use later. You'll see." Sara said as everyone wondered what was the meaning of the symbols.

**Constantine explained that this would help Oliver against Reiter in time as they shook hands. Oliver then told Constantine to punch him as Constantine nodded in understanding, to make his "escape" believable. Constantine nodded, warning Oliver he had quite a right hook as he punched Oliver.**

"Ow!" Thea said as everyone winced.

"Yeah, he's not just a magician, I'll tell you that." Sara said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] You may have noticed that I have changed the part, where the drug dealer pushed Oliver off the roof, since honestly, that one was so freaking stupid and Oliver was ridiculously nerfed into a low-rank amateur, which always annoys me when they nerf Oliver's fighting skills to fit the plot. If you consider that he has been trained by Slade, Shado and A.R.G.U.S., this made no sense, although Season 4 overall ridiculously nerfed Oliver's combat skills that he was unable to beat Machin despite that Oliver had already been trained by Ra's al Ghul or his numerous encounters with Darhk, although in Oliver's defense, Darhk had magic on his side but still, it made no sense that Oliver could not figure out the source of Darhk's power, the Khushu idol, when he had encountered it already in the past. And in Season 6, Oliver was nerfed even more, when Ricardo Diaz wiped the floor with him in fistfight in 6x20, when there is no background on explanation on Diaz's fighting skills, asides from what Arrowverse wikia tells us. Some people have argued that Diaz had been trained by Dante and the Longbow Hunters but there is no indication that Diaz had met them prior to 6x23 and it is a weak connection at best. The showrunners' hatred for Oliver apparently has no limits.
> 
> [2] For those, who did not watch the NBC's show Constantine before it was cancelled, nor are they familiar with his character from comic books, Constantine's mother died giving birth and when Constantine was a teenager, a nun Anne Marie introduced him into the occult and magic world. Constantine later studied occultism and magic, trying to conjure dead as he gained vast magic skills, in hopes he could one day summon the spirit of his mother. However, in Newcastle, Constantine and his friends attempted to exorcise a young girl Astra Logue, with Constantine attempting to summon a more powerful demon named Nergal to banish him but Nergal betrayed him and killed Astra and damned both her and Constantine's souls to Hell, with most of Constantine's friends later turning their backs on him, except for one, Chas Chandler. The show later more or less portrayed Constantine on a reluctant road to redemption before it was cancelled. As much as I was pleased to see the character in Arrowverse later, well, in Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 he was great but don't get me started on Legends of Tomorrow Season 4 overall.
> 
> [3] This is something that Season 2 of Constantine could have covered if NBC had not cancelled the show, so all I can give are vague descriptions.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	17. A startling discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see how Oliver's and Taiana's relationship becomes more complicated, alongside with Oliver's cover being blown, prompting for Reiter and Conklin to make Oliver pay for his deception until Reiter decides to have a different use for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**Oliver accompanied Reiter and Conklin back to the tunnels, explaining he did not know that this place was on Lian Yu, to which Reiter commended him, while holding the orb in his hand. Oliver stopped them at the doorsill at the chamber, where he and Constantine had found the orb, explaining that Constantine had told him that the place was somehow magically protected.**

"Something tells me that won't stop him." Quentin said.

"Keep watching." Sara said.

**Reiter explained that he was not interested in the chamber, examining hidden symbols on the doorsill with the orb as Oliver wondered what it was. Reiter explained that it was a message from the ancients, leading to a very special gift before turning to Oliver, wanting to know if he had seen a cove on Lian Yu surrounded by mountains. Oliver nodded as Reiter demanded for him to lead an excavation with laborers, wanting to find his "gift", while Conklin rolled his eyes, annoyed.**

" _Gift_? What makes him think it belongs to him, whatever it is?" Felicity demanded.

"He's a power-hungry bastard, did you expect anything less?" Quentin pointed out.

"I'd be worried more about Conklin." Diggle said as everyone's concern grew. "He doesn't trust Oliver at all and he's not stupid."

**Conklin led Reiter to talk somewhere private, wanting to know what they were doing on the island in the first place and pointing out that Oliver could not be trusted, since he was a mole. Acknowledging his warnings, Reiter instructed for Conklin to accompany Oliver to the cove as Conklin nodded.**

"I never thought I'd say this but Ollie should just kill that guy and get rid of him." Tommy said and everyone was surprised he'd ever condone Oliver killing someone.

"Well, not that I disagree with you but you've seen how many of those soldiers are there. Besides, they're not stupid." Quentin argued.

"Well, all I'm gonna tell is that Conklin will be around long enough to bring Ollie a lot of trouble." Sara said and everyone grew more concerned.

**Oliver, Conklin and the slaves went to the cove as the laborers searched. Oliver ordered them to dive underwater but one of them, a tall bearded muscular laborer argued that they were tired and that they needed rest. Oliver gave in, pointing out that they had brought food and that they had 15 minutes of break.**

"Well, Ollie can be reasonable, if the situation demands it." Laurel said.

"Pity he didn't put that to use before the Gambit." Moira pointed out and Quentin and Laurel nodded, while Tommy and Thea scowled as everyone else snickered.

**Conklin remarked sarcastically what a nice guy Oliver was. Oliver told Conklin to keep an eye on the slaves, while Oliver was going to eat his lunch in peace as Oliver walked away. Conklin smirked, approaching the bearded man and speaking to him as the bearded man said that his name was Vlad. Conklin offered him to feel a little better as Vlad narrowed his eyes.**

"What is that guy up to?" Diggle wondered, all of them worried.

"Well, all I'm gonna tell you that Vlad is Taiana's brother." Sara said and everyone paled, realizing what was going to happen next.

"Oh, crap." Roy said.

"This is definitely not gonna end well." Laurel said, all of them worried about Oliver.

**Oliver returned to the cave, where Taiana was sleeping as she woke up, on guard, picking a rock. When she noticed it was Oliver, she lowered her guard, while Oliver commended on her instincts.**

"Clever girl." Quentin remarked.

**Oliver pulled out a box of food, sitting down with Taiana, while she told him that she had stopped trusting people making her promises.**

Everyone felt sad for her, wondering what happened to her.

**Oliver inquired what else was Reiter up to, asides from drugs. Taiana replied that Reiter was interested in stealing people away from their families.**

Everyone's blood boiled as they glared, hoping that Reiter would get what he deserved.

**Oliver asked her if she had seen Reiter do anything mystical or magical. Taiana said that Reiter has always been a strange man and very religious, even blessing his prisoners and cleansing their souls.**

"What, he wants to become a sorcerer like Darhk and Constantine?" Roy demanded, all of them realizing how insane Reiter was.

"Basically, yeah." Sara nodded.

**Oliver realized that Reiter's drug operation was just a cover for whatever he was really doing here, telling Taiana that Reiter might crave power more than money. Taiana considered before telling her that he needed to go, in order not to raise Conklin's suspicions more than he already has but he promised to visit her as much as he could, while Taiana nodded, believing him.**

"Ollie…" Laurel smiled, all of them touched by his selflessness.

"You know that he has changed for the better." Sara said.

"Yeah." Quentin nodded.

"What… what happened to her?" Thea wondered, all of them suspecting that something bad must have happened to her.

"I… think it's best if you see for yourselves." Sara said cryptically and all of them realized that it was not going to end well for her.

**Oliver returned back to the cove, when suddenly, Vlad tackled him to the ground, roaring.**

"Oh, no." Felicity said, all of them worried about Oliver.

**Vlad threw Oliver into the water and grabbed him by his head in an attempt to drown Oliver. Oliver struggled out of Vlad's grip as Vlad fell down. Vlad attempted to attack Oliver but Oliver grabbed him in neck lock. Vlad attempted to struggle out, forcing Oliver to snap his neck.**

Everyone tensed. They knew it was self-defense but they had to wonder how was Oliver going to explain this to Taiana, considering what had already happened with Slade.

"This is not gonna end well, is it?" Moira asked.

"No spoilers." Sara said and everyone grew immediately more worried about Oliver.

**Oliver threw Vlad's lifeless body into the water as Conklin showed up, demanding what happened and that Oliver better had a good explanation.**

"As if you didn't know, you son of a bitch." Roy growled as everyone glared at Conklin.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy watching you pay." Quentin said.

"That's not gonna happen soon enough." Sara said and everyone became more worried about Oliver.

**Conklin was accompanying Oliver back to the main camp, pointing out that Reiter was not going to be happy.**

"And you would know that, would you?" Thea sneered.

**Conklin said that Vlad was a good worker and that the prisoners listened to him. Oliver argued that he was defending himself, while Conklin argued that Vlad would not hurt anyone. Oliver then realized that Conklin had Vlad attack Oliver but Conklin dodged, pointing out that Vlad wanted revenge on Oliver because Taiana was his sister and Oliver paled.**

"Ollie…" Thea whispered, all of them worried about Oliver.

**They returned to the camp into Reiter's tent as Oliver explained the situation to Reiter, accusing Conklin of setting Vlad up, which Conklin denied.**

"And here I thought Oliver was a poor liar." Quentin said, all of them seeing how lamely was Conklin trying to deny Oliver's accusations.

**Reiter stopped the argument, picking up some twigs, saying that they would reveal the truth.**

"Did it work?" Felicity asked.

"I guess. Honestly, I barely have any idea how magic works." Sara shrugged.

**Reiter asked Oliver why did he kill the prisoner, while Oliver replied that the prisoner attacked him. Reiter turned to Conklin, who was annoyed by Reiter's antics. Reiter asked Conklin if he had Vlad attack Oliver, which Conklin denied as the twigs rustled and Reiter noted that Conklin was lying.**

"What? A magical lie detector? Oh, man, I wish I had one of those." Quentin said, excited.

Everyone immediately glared at him.

**Conklin said that Reiter's idea of discovering a lie was ridiculous but another one of Reiter's men dragged Conklin out, while he protested that Oliver was the real problem. Oliver wondered what was Reiter going to do to Conklin, while Reiter said that he believed the wronged should make things right.**

Everyone looked worried. "Ollie's gonna…" Thea trailed off.

"Torture him? I wouldn't go that far." Sara said.

**As Reiter left, Oliver discreetly stole Constantine's map from Reiter's desk.**

"Nice." Tommy said.

**Conklin was on his knees, wearing a tank top and pants as the soldiers and the slaves surrounded him before Reiter appeared, saying that Conklin had betrayed them by tricking an innocent, useful man into his death and conspiring against his comrades, while Conklin begged for mercy. Reiter then said that the punishment would come from Oliver, since Conklin had wronged him as Reiter handed Oliver a whip.**

"Ollie…" Thea trailed off.

"Well, I can't say Conklin doesn't deserve it but I'm not sure I want to watch Oliver whip someone either." Quentin said and no one disagreed with him.

**Oliver picked the whip as Conklin begged for mercy.**

"Spineless bastard." Diggle glared at Conklin in disgust, not that anyone blamed him.

**Oliver swung the whip and Conklin screamed as it slashed his back. Reiter said that Oliver should hit harder as Oliver again swung the whip as Conklin screamed.**

The ladies winced at the sight but none of them felt any pity for Conklin as the men were satisfied that Conklin got what he deserved.

**Taiana was in the cave, cooking lizards as Oliver entered, sighing as he sat down.**

"Uh-oh." Felicity said, all of them suspecting what was going to happen next.

"He didn't tell her the truth. Not… fully." Sara said as everyone paled. "Don't worry, it's not gonna be like with Slade but she will find out eventually and well, she won't take it well at first."

**Oliver admitted that he had a hard day before turning to her, telling her about Vlad, much to her concern. Oliver shook his head, telling Taiana he was very sorry and Taiana broke down, realizing what happened as she broke down in tears.**

All of them felt sad for her but Laurel, Thea and Diggle, despite the recent revelation about Andy, felt deepest sympathy for her for losing a sibling.

**Taiana got up and cursed herself and her brother for getting onto the boat as she explained that Reiter's men had hijacked it and captured them, with her being a dive instructor and Vlad was a deckhand, with Reiter's men killing everyone on the boat and bringing them on Lian Yu.**

"That bastard." Diggle growled, disturbed by what people did his brother work with.

**Taiana wanted to know what happened to Vlad, while Oliver said that Conklin killed him.**

"Well, that was not exactly a lie but I'm guessing it's not gonna end well." Tommy pointed out, all of them remembering what happened to Slade.

**Taiana's face turned furious, wanting to kill Conklin but Oliver held her back, saying that Conklin was just Reiter's pawn as he showed her Constantine's map of Lian Yu and that he needed her help with finding a detailed survey map of the island, while Taiana wondered where would they find them but it was a long shot.**

"Where would they get one? Unless there are some remnants in Fyers's camp, I doubt they can find it." Moira said.

"Well…" Sara trailed off and everyone realized where was she going with it.

"Wait, shouldn't  _Amazo_  be at the bottom of the sea by now?" Thea pointed out.

"It was close enough to the shore for Ollie to get to it." Sara said.

**Oliver and Taiana walked down the forest, with Taiana being visibly tired and as she sat down. Oliver insisted that they needed to keep going but Taiana was frustrated, wanting to make Conklin and his men pay for what they did to Vlad. Oliver argued that Reiter was the real problem and they needed to keep them away from what they wanted in order to hurt them. Taiana was frustrated that Oliver wasn't using a more direct approach, which Oliver did admit but he promised her to get justice for Vlad and make Reiter and Conklin pay.**

"He knows how to convince people, I'll give him that." Diggle said.

"I wish he had put that to better use." Moira sighed.

"Did you honestly believe Ollie was in a good mindset to become a businessman, when he came back?" Sara argued and Moira winced, realizing she had a point, all of those who had known Oliver cursing themselves again for expecting Oliver to be the same person he was before the island, when he came back and ashamed of their initial treatment towards him.

**Oliver pointed out that Reiter's drug operation was just a front to fund his real plan, searching for some mystical artifact as he showed her Constantine's map and that he needed the maps on _Amazo_  as they looked at the wreckage of the freighter near the shores.**

"I can't believe that thing is still standing." Felicity said.

"And I'm guessing that A.S.I.S. had already found Slade by then." Diggle said as Sara nodded.

"He was back home with his son… for a time." Sara reminded, summing up what happened. "The Mirakuru did fade off for a time but when Slade found out that Ollie survived and came back to Starling, he lost it again, killing dozens of A.S.I.S. agents and abandoning Joe. And let's just say that Joe did not take it well."

"What happened to Joe?" Moira wondered.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sara sighed, all of them feeling bad for Slade again.

**Oliver took off his jacket, with Taiana skeptical about Oliver knowing enough about what Taiana told him to do, in few minutes. Oliver dived underwater and swam towards the wreckage, scouring the flooded area until he found a crate and opened it to reveal the maps of Lian Yu. Oliver swam up to fill his lungs with fresh air before swimming out but he did not notice a shark nearing him.**

"Ollie!" Thea screamed as everyone gasped and paled, none of them wanting to see a shark kill Oliver.

**Later, Oliver swam up, grunting in pain as Taiana helped him to the shore before she saw a bite mark on Oliver's body as Oliver laid down.**

Everyone groaned at the sight, wondering how many more injuries would Oliver endure in the following two years.

**Taiana paled as Conklin and other soldiers showed up, smirking in vindication that his suspicions about Oliver were correct, looking forward to making Oliver suffer before Oliver passed out from the pain.**

"Great." Roy grumbled, all of them worried about Oliver.

"Oliver…" Moira whispered as Quentin held her hand, assuring her, while Roy had his arm around Thea protectively and Tommy had his arm around Laurel and Diggle had his arm around Felicity.

**Conklin forced Oliver and Taiana to return back to the camp, noting that Reiter would make Oliver pay, now that it was discovered that Oliver had been lying to them the whole time. Oliver fell down, passing out from the pain as Taiana argued that he needed rest, not that Conklin cared as he forced them both to keep moving as Taiana looked at Oliver's wound.**

Everyone winced at the sight, while glaring at Conklin hatefully.

**Oliver ordered Taiana to run, while he would distract Conklin but Taiana declined, not wanting to leave Oliver behind. Conklin entered Reiter's tent, explaining that Oliver had lied about Taiana, not that Reiter cared until Conklin showed him the maps that Oliver had recovered from _Amazo_ , noting that Oliver might have been lying about more things. Oliver tried to explain that he got the maps for Reiter but Reiter was skeptical, considering how long it took for Oliver to recover the maps and him lying about Taiana, deciding  _not_  to take Oliver's word anymore and that Conklin was free to do with Oliver anything he wanted as Conklin smirked.**

"Oh, no…" Thea paled, all of them worried about Oliver as pits of dread formed in their stomachs.

**Oliver was stripped of his shirt and bound, dragged outside and forced on his knees as Reiter's men held Taiana back, while she protested. Conklin swung the whip as Oliver screamed in pain.**

Laurel, Felicity, Moira and Thea gasped, while Tommy, Diggle, Roy and Quentin glared at Conklin for putting Oliver through the pain.

**Conklin kept on whipping Oliver, until Reiter noticed that the glowing symbols on Oliver's hip, that Constantine had put on him, ordering for Conklin to stop, much to Conklin's annoyance as Reiter had in his hand the Orb of Horus. Conklin dropped the whip, frustrated as he saw the symbols on Oliver's body too, while Reiter said that he needed Oliver alive.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Oliver grabbed a gun from Conklin's belt, aiming it at Reiter as the soldiers were about to shoot him but Reiter ordered them to stand down. Oliver realized that Reiter needed him alive as he aimed at his own chin, threatening to kill himself.**

"Ollie…" Laurel whispered, none of them expecting Oliver to take such a risk.

**Conklin knew that Oliver was bluffing but Oliver bargained for Taiana's safety in order for his cooperation. Reiter considered before giving in, despite Conklin's protests as Reiter ordered his men to imprison Oliver and Taiana. Conklin protested that Oliver could not be trusted, while Reiter turned to him, indifferently warning him that he did not need Conklin alive for his plan.**

"At least he's gonna lay off." Tommy said as they all relaxed in relief.

"For now." Sara said, all of them wondering how much worse it could get for Oliver.

**Oliver, leaning onto Taiana, were both accompanied by Conklin and other soldiers into a prison, while Conklin explained that the Chinese had used Lian Yu in the past as a prison before and that being here was a mercy in comparison to Hell.**

"At least Fyers did not lie about that." Quentin said, all of them grudgingly remembering the mercenary leader.

**Conklin opened the cell as Taiana and Oliver entered as Conklin said that he was looking forward to make Oliver suffer.**

Everyone glared at Conklin again and hoped that Oliver would make it out alive somehow.

**Taiana picked the bucket of water and a piece of cloth, tending to Oliver's injuries, grateful that he saved her life, again. Oliver pointed out that she did not deserve to die, while Taiana remarked that Oliver was a good person.**

No one disagreed with that assessment, again feeling pride for Oliver's selflessness.

**Taiana pointed out that Vlad would have liked Oliver as Oliver felt more guilt weigh upon him.**

"Oh." Thea said, all of them realizing what was going to happen next and wondering how would Oliver sort this out.

**Later, Oliver was brought out of his cell and his hands hanging on shackles, with Reiter electrocuting him with a sponge attached to an electrode, which was connected to a battery as Oliver screamed in pain.**

Everyone glared at the mercenary leader, getting flashbacks from Slade torturing Oliver on  _Amazo_.

**Reiter demanded to know why did Oliver take these maps and not wanting to listen to Taiana's desperate pleas, he ordered his men to drag her out. Reiter charged the battery, wanting to know what was Oliver looking for as Reiter electrocuted Oliver again until they heard a 'thud', bodies dropping down before Reiter was hit into his chest with an arrow as he fell down dead.**

"Who the…" Roy trailed off, all of them wondering what was going on.

**Oliver looked up to see a familiar figure in green hood, holding a bow as Shado revealed herself and smiled at him.**

"What?" Thea asked, all of them shocked.

"Mei? Or…"

"…a hallucination." Sara finished for Diggle and all of them felt disappointed.

**Shado freed Oliver from the shackles, making Oliver wonder what was going on as Shado explained that he was hallucinating from his injuries. Oliver said that she was not real but what she wanted to tell him, was real.**

"Oh." Diggle said, realizing what it was.

"What?" Everyone turned to him in confusion.

"It's his survivor's guilt. He's seeing ghosts." Diggle explained. "It happened to me back in Afghanistan too. Why us and not them. He needs to figure out what she's trying to tell him."

All of them felt more sympathy for Oliver, when they realized that his guilt complex was running much deeper than they had thought.

**Shado pointed out that Oliver needed to forgive himself for what he has done. Oliver had no idea what was she talking about and Shado pointed out that Oliver had a chance to leave the island and return back home to his family.**

"If only it were that simple." Thea sighed, all of them knowing that it was anything but as they sighed.

**Oliver argued that he could not go back because of the darkness he had inside him at the moment. Shado told him that he needed to change and that his only way out was through, repeating Waller's words. Shado pointed out that it was through his own darkness and that he needed to let go, while Shado promised that she would teach him.**

Everyone was genuinely curious about what was going to happen next.

**They sat down in Lotus position, meditating as Shado pointed out that Oliver's darkness was his guilt, taking many lives, Vlad's included, while pointing out that Taiana had received only lie in return for her helping Oliver. Oliver lowered his head before Shado ordered him to open his eyes as he saw that he had in his hands a stone with strange symbols. Oliver was confused by what was going on but Shado had managed to disappear.**

"Huh?" Roy said, all of them confused. "What was that about?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure either, asides from Ollie having to face his own guilt." Sara admitted.

**Oliver's mind came back to the present as he was coughing out, with Taiana tending to him, with Reiter observing them until he left. Taiana was about to take more water until Oliver held her hand, causing for her to stop.**

"Oh." Quentin said, all of them realizing this was it and wondering how bad it was going to get for Oliver.

**Taiana turned to him in confusion as Oliver got up, sitting on the bed, insisting that he needed to tell her the truth. Oliver explained that he had darkness inside of him that he had been trying to escape and that in order to do that, he needed to earn her forgiveness. Taiana was confused until Oliver explained that he was the one, who killed Vlad, with remorse as Taiana's eyes filled with tears as she sobbed, unable to look at Oliver as she turned away from him, while he looked at the stone in his hand.**

No one was sure who to feel sadder for, either for Oliver, considering his inner struggle and how hard this must have been for him or for Taiana for how she was feeling at the moment.

**Taiana demanded to know what happened as Oliver attempted to explain that he was defending himself, not that it mattered to Taiana, since she was done with him until Oliver admitted that he had in his hand the stone that Reiter wanted.**

"Oh, no." Tommy said, all of them realizing what was going to happen next.

"Considering her state at the moment, he shouldn't have told her that." Laurel said.

**Taiana took the stone from Oliver's hand and approached the bars, requesting from the soldiers to get Reiter.**

"Damn it." Diggle groaned.

**Reiter later approached the cell, annoyed that a prisoner had summoned him as Taiana was offering to trade her freedom for the stone, despite Oliver's protests. She showed Reiter the stone and it intrigued him until he snatched it away from her hand, saying he was going to get it either way, much to her shock.**

"Bastard." Roy growled.

"Honestly, I'm not even surprised he did something like that." Moira said. In fact, none of them were surprised.

**Taiana begged for Reiter to let her out, not wanting to be in a cell with the man, who killed her brother. Reiter did not care, ordering her to tend to Oliver's health, or she would die as Taiana paled.**

Everyone glared at Reiter hatefully.

**Taiana breathed out, horrified by the situation she just found herself in as Reiter walked away until she turned to Oliver, feeling very uncomfortable.**

"Well, this cannot end well." Felicity said.

"Well, at first." Sara admitted, making them all curious what was going to happen next.

**Reluctantly, Taiana handed Oliver a bowl of water until she showed him a pill of penicillin, making it clear that his life was in her hands now, while Oliver attempted to reason with her, pleading that he knew what she was going through. Taiana glared, not wanting Oliver's sympathies, of all people.**

Everyone winced, although they did not blame Taiana for feeling the way that she did.

**Taiana accused Oliver was being a heartless killer until Oliver brought up Robert and his sacrifice, begging for Oliver to right his wrongs and that Oliver had lost five more people that he cared about since then, making Taiana feel some sympathy for him as she was stunned by what Oliver had been through.**

"Yao Fei. Shado. You. Slade. And Akio." Felicity counted as they all felt more sympathy for Oliver than ever.  **[1]**

**Oliver explained that he had cared about them a lot and the pain never got easier as Taiana acknowledged that she had seen it in his eyes that he was lost and shattered. Taiana then offered to help Oliver since he was broken on the inside before she handed him the pill of penicillin that he swallowed.**

They all relaxed. "At least she listened to reason." Moira said.

"In Slade's defense, the Mirakuru had warped his mind. Once we cured him, it took a while but he came to his senses too." Sara said.

**Oliver promised Taiana to free her friends as Reiter entered, wanting for Oliver to help him dig under the prison at daybreak.**

"What was under the prison?" Roy wondered.

"Nothing good." Sara said grimly, much to their worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] This may be an error on the side of the writers again but in the flashbacks, Oliver said that he had lost four more people since Robert's suicide. And if I am correct, asides from Robert, he had lost at that point Yao Fei, Shado, Sara, Slade and Akio, making it five more people actually, so I changed it to make Oliver say "five" instead of "four".
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	18. The Khushu idol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see Oliver and Taiana encounter the mystical idol that brings a lot of pain and misery, forcing Oliver to do the hardest thing he ever had to do so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**Later, when he recovered, Oliver, Taiana and other prisoners were digging through the wall as Reiter explained that beneath the prison lied great power and that he and Oliver were going to accomplish great things before walking away.**

Everyone glared hatefully at Reiter.

**Another prisoner glared at Oliver, mockingly calling him Reiter's pet as Oliver protested that the prisoner had no idea what happened, with Taiana defending Oliver, pointing out that they needed him alive, while the prisoner pointed out that the soldiers did not care, considering what Oliver did to Conklin as he "suggested" to them to take a drink, much to the soldiers' satisfaction as they walked away, while the workers surrounded Oliver, glaring, much to his and Taiana's horror.**

"Frak." Felicity said as everyone was worried.

"Don't worry." Sara assured them as they relaxed.

**The man pointed out angrily what Oliver did to them, torturing one of their men, while Taiana defended Oliver, that he put himself at great risk saving her life and that he could help them go home. The prisoner pointed out that Oliver killed her brother, while Taiana told Oliver to explain why.**

"Well, I hope they'll listen to reason too." Quentin said as everyone else hoped so too.

**Oliver explained that Conklin had put Vlad onto attacking Oliver, forcing Oliver to kill him in self-defense, begging for the prisoners to trust him because he was not their enemy and wanted to stop Reiter and free them. The prisoners requested for Oliver to earn their trust by killing Conklin as Oliver shook his head and sighed, considering his options.**

"Well, usually I don't like Oliver killing but I can't say that Conklin doesn't deserve it." Felicity said and no one disagreed with her.

**Taiana dragged Oliver aside, asking if he has killed people before, asides from Vlad as Oliver nodded, reluctantly, bringing up Shrieve and that what he did to Shrieve made him a monster as Taiana realized that if he killed Conklin, he would inevitably unleash his monster again as Oliver nodded, while Taiana pointed out that it took monsters to fight monsters.**

Everyone again felt deep sympathy for Oliver, wondering how he could deal with his inner darkness.

"Well, I can't say that she's wrong but once you touch that darkness, it's not easy to make it go away." Diggle said.

"You have no idea, Dig." Sara admitted, again remembering what she almost did to Roy, when he was under the influence of Mirakuru.

**One of Reiter's men dragged Oliver into Reiter's office in cuffs as Oliver wondered why did Reiter need him alive. Reiter asked Oliver if he believed in destiny, while Oliver said he believed more in free will.**

Sara growled, remembering the Time Masters and Oculus and painful memory of Oliver making a deal with the Monitor to trade his own life for Barry's and Kara's in the Crisis of Infinite Earths.

**Reiter said that with the maps that Oliver had recovered, he would be able to uncover deep secrets of the island, while Oliver corrected that Conklin took them from Oliver as Reiter pointed out that it was destiny as he explained that with the help of the maps, he was able to decipher the inscriptions on the stone Oliver had found. Reiter explained that on Lian Yu was hidden a device of untold power and that to find it, they needed someone blessed by the gods, who would be granted the passage, which Reiter had assumed Oliver was.**

"That's why Constantine enchanted the symbols on his hip." Diggle realized as Sara nodded.

"What did they find?" Felicity wondered.

"Nothing good." Sara said.

**Conklin entered, explaining that Reiter was needed upstairs as Reiter left, leaving Conklin and Oliver alone in his office.**

Everyone narrowed their eyes, wondering if this was it.

**Oliver discreetly picked a letter knife from the desk, lockpicking the cuffs before he saw the straight razor at the sink. Oliver freed himself from the cuffs, attacking Conklin but Conklin had anticipated this as he dodged, while Oliver picked the razor. Conklin pulled out his knife, ready to kill Oliver, wanting to enjoy watching him die and that after he was done with Oliver, Conklin would make Taiana and the other prisoners suffer.**

"Not today." Thea sneered as everyone glared at Conklin.

**Oliver vowed _not_ to let Conklin hurt anyone else ever again as Conklin smirked, satisfied to see the killer. Oliver blocked as Conklin aimed his knife at Oliver's head. Conklin dodged Oliver's punch as they traded blows.**

**They appeared to be evenly matched as Oliver spun around, trying to stab Conklin in his side but Conklin blocked. Oliver dodged as Conklin aimed at his head, while Conklin blocked Oliver's kick. Oliver blocked as Conklin attempted to stab him again and kicked him back.**

**They tried to deliver a killing blow to their opponent with their knives before Oliver slammed Conklin's head to the mirror at the sink as the mirror shattered. Conklin attempted to stab Oliver but Oliver grabbed Conklin's arm, in which he had the knife before slamming him to the wall and driving the knife into Conklin's chest. Conklin grunted, his mouth filling with blood as he gloated what a fool Oliver was and that Reiter would kill everyone, despite Oliver's best efforts. Oliver pulled the knife out as Conklin fell down, dead until another of the soldiers entered, catching Oliver in the act as he dragged Oliver back in his cell.**

Everyone was satisfied that Conklin was dead, not really bothered that Oliver killed him.

"I never thought I'd be OK with Ollie killing anyone." Tommy admitted.

"Me neither." Laurel agreed as she, Thea, Moira, Quentin and Felicity nodded.

"That's for all those slaves, you son of a bitch." Diggle growled.

"He got exactly what he deserved." Quentin said and no one disagreed with him.

"Good riddance on that bastard but what happens now?" Felicity wondered.

**Reiter was disappointed that Conklin was dead and pointing out that while not a perfect one, he was a good man.**

Everyone scoffed.

**Oliver argued that he was defending himself, while Reiter brought up Vlad, before Oliver remarked that it certainly was ironic. Reiter neared Oliver, saying that he needed Oliver alive but he should not test Reiter again before walking away.**

Everyone glared at Reiter hatefully.

"I wonder how Oliver takes this guy down." Felicity wondered.

"Well… it's not going to be easy to watch." Sara admitted.

**Oliver sat down, grunting in pain as Taiana kissed him on his cheek gratefully before Oliver said that Reiter would kill all the slaves on the island and that they were running out of time.**

"Don't worry about the slaves." Sara assured them as they relaxed.

**Taiana wanted to know if Oliver was sure about what Conklin had told him. Oliver pointed out that Conklin would not lie, if he was dying and that whatever Reiter's plan was, he intended to kill every slave on the island before Reiter approached them, wanting for Oliver and Taiana to be at his side when Reiter would claim his prize, not that either of them cared as Reiter's men let them out of their cell.**

**They accompanied Oliver and Taiana to the hole they had dug as Reiter reached in, sensing the primordial energy as lights flickered, much to Oliver's, Taiana's and the soldiers' concern, not that Reiter was bothered, saying that it was destiny.**

"What is it? Ghosts?" Tommy paled.

"Uh…" Sara hesitated as everyone grew more concerned and Sara had an uncomfortable flashback from when the Earth totem had possessed her or when Laurel had brought her back to life with the Lazarus pit.

Tommy, Felicity and Diggle groaned, not wanting to imagine it as everyone else paled.

**The lights exploded, causing for them to get back until Conklin appeared, with pale white eyes, saying that it was not destiny but something greater, in some unknown language.**

Felicity and Thea screamed, while Laurel, Moira and Tommy almost jumped as Diggle, Roy and Quentin shivered.

"Ghost!" Felicity cried out.

"Oh, God, what is this now? Poltergeist?" Laurel demanded.

"Not a bad comparison but no." Sara shrugged.

**"Conklin" said that no stranger would pass, not that anyone understood as one of the soldiers shot at the apparition. "Conklin" was unfazed, intending to kill the intruders as Taiana said in horror that they needed to run.**

"Good idea." Tommy said.

**Reiter and his men retreated, while aiming his gun at Oliver and Taiana, locking them in the room with "Conklin", much to their horror.**

"Let them out, you bastard!" Thea snarled as everyone glared at the screen.

"Don't worry about them." Sara assured them as they relaxed.

**"Conklin" neared Oliver and Taiana until he saw the symbols on Oliver's hip glowing, saying that Oliver was worthy to pass as the apparition disappeared.**

"What?" Thea asked, confused.

"Huh. Interesting." Tommy said.

**The door opened as Oliver growled at Reiter angrily, while Reiter assured him that he had every confidence that Oliver and Taiana would survive. Oliver pointed out if Reiter did care about other people, while Reiter coldly said that Oliver was his only concern.**

Everyone glared at Reiter again.

**Reiter commended that they had gotten this far because of Oliver and he intended to see it through as he handed Oliver a flashlight and forced him and Taiana to ender the hole they had dug up, leading them into a large cavern.**

"What did they find? The idol that Darhk uses too?" Diggle asked.

Sara nodded, growling at the thought as everyone realized how bad it must have been, with Quentin and Tommy holding Laurel's arms tightly as she paled.

**Oliver, Taiana, Reiter and his men walked down the cavern until they saw an idol shaped like a head at the pedestal.**

Sara glared at the idol hatefully.

"Hmmm." Felicity said, all of them intrigued.

"I hope there's a boulder that's waiting to crush him to death or something like that." Thea said.

"Not this time." Sara said as they were concerned about what would Reiter do with the idol, considering what Sara had told them about it.

**Oliver wanted for Reiter to let him and Taiana go, which Reiter declined as he approached the idol, explaining that he had grown up in a small village in Africa that was wiped out by bandits, who had ransacked it and burned it into ashes, while Reiter vowed _never_  to feel helpless again.**

"That doesn't justify killing dozens, maybe hundreds of innocent people." Quentin growled as everyone glared at him, while Moira shivered at remembering Malcolm.

**Oliver scoffed, pointing out that by kidnapping, enslaving and killing innocent people, Reiter was no better than the people that destroyed his village, while Reiter argued that he was _very_  different.**

"He's crazier than I thought." Tommy said.

"No kidding." Sara nodded.

**Reiter pulled out his gun as he shot at one of the slaves, much to Oliver's and Taiana's horror. Taiana was about to help the slave but Reiter stopped her, ordering for her to let the slave die, while Oliver pointed out how insane Reiter was before Reiter pointed out that the difference between insanity and beliefs was the number of believers.**

Everyone glared at the warlord, realizing how insane he was.

"Ra's al Ghul and Damien Darhk were even worse than him." Sara said grimly as they all tensed, not wanting to meet either of those individuals.

**Suddenly, the slave turned pale as sheet, losing color as he fell down with a glassy look, his life leaving his body as some smoke went out from him, nearing the idol, as if it was draining the life out of him.**

Everyone was shocked by what happened. "What the…"

"The Khushu idol draws power from death." Sara explained. "The more people die in the proximity of that thing, the more power it gets. And the holder of the idol becomes stronger with each death."

"Is… is there a way to stop this?" Laurel asked.

"Willpower. Anyone with sufficiently stronger willpower than the person using the magic of the idol, cannot be affected." Sara said, much to everyone's surprise. That felt a little… anticlimactic.  **[1]**

**Reiter approached the glowing idol, rolling his sleeve as he reached out with his left arm as the symbols on them glowered, explaining that one life would feed him great power. One of the soldiers said that they had rounded up the prisoners as Reiter ordered him to execute them all.**

"No!" Everyone cried out in horror.

**Oliver knocked the soldier out before slamming Reiter towards the pedestal and throwing him away from the idol. Taiana grabbed the idol as they ran away, intending to get it as far away from Reiter as possible.**

Everyone sighed in relief until they saw the grim look in Sara's eyes, realizing things were about to get worse.

"Just keep watching." Sara said.

**Oliver and Taiana were scouring the tunnels until they were sure they had lost Reiter and that Reiter would not kill them if they did not have the idol. Taiana pointed out that they should destroy it as she slammed it to the ground but to her surprise, nothing happened.**

"Crap." Tommy said.

"It takes more than that to destroy it." Sara said, remembering how did Mari destroy the idol.

**Suddenly, they heard Reiter's voice on Oliver's radio as Reiter requested for him to hand over the idol or Reiter would hunt them down, since Oliver and Taiana were outnumbered.**

"He's beaten worse odds before." Felicity said optimistically.

"Yeah… but he had Yao Fei, Sara, Slade, Shado, Anatoly, Maseo and Tatsu. And no offense to her but Taiana's just a diving instructor." Roy pointed out.

"Roy's right, they can't do this on their own." Diggle nodded, all of them worried how would Oliver deal with it.

**Oliver and Taiana went into hiding as two soldiers scoured the tunnels until they found the idol, realizing it was a trap, wondering what was Oliver up to until Oliver jumped down from above, knocking one of the soldiers out as another one aimed a gun at him until Taiana hit him in the head with the idol, knocking him out.**

"Nice." Tommy said as they all smirked.

**Taiana pointed out that now they had guns too as Oliver smiled in satisfaction. Oliver returned into the chamber where they had found the idol, where Reiter was waiting, with Reiter wondering where did Taiana go until she appeared with two guns in her hands, handing one of them to Oliver as Reiter demanded to know where was the idol. Oliver attempted to deny the location but Reiter was able to feel its power.**

**Taiana attempted to shoot Reiter but the warlord was unfazed due to the idol's magic, pointing out that he had absorbed enough of its power to kill them both.**

"No…" Moira whispered, all of them wondering how would Oliver stop him.

**Oliver pointed out how insane Reiter had become due to the power he was wielding, while Reiter argued that madness was a matter of perspective as Oliver realized that Reiter was killing people to gain power.**

"And Darhk has killed tens of thousands of innocent, even before he got that idol." Sara said grimly as everyone glared.

**Reiter pointed out that he was unstoppable, promising a quick death to both Oliver and Taiana in exchange for the idol's location. Oliver declined as Reiter raised his arm, telekinetically throwing Taiana aside. Oliver glared at Reiter, engaging him but the idol's magic had enhanced Reiter's strength, putting Oliver at a disadvantage. Reiter threw Oliver towards the pedestal and kicked him back. Oliver fell back against the pedestal as Reiter neared him. Reiter blocked Oliver's incoming punch and grabbed him, throwing him down on the ground. Oliver got up, trying to punch Reiter but Reiter dodged and grabbed Oliver before kicking him back. Oliver staggered on his feet as he and Reiter got up. Reiter blocked Oliver's kick and dodged and blocked his punches before hitting Oliver in the face. Oliver attempted to block Reiter's blows but Reiter punched him in the face eventually, knocking him down on the ground.**

"Damn it, he's too strong." Diggle growled.

"Ollie beat him. Eventually." Sara assured them as all of them relaxed. "Although, it did not end well."

Everyone was worried about what did happen later.

**Reiter pointed out that if one dead man could give him such power, what could happen if Reiter would become stronger with dozens of lives gone, sacrificed in his name.**

"Like hell." Thea growled as they all glared at the screen, while Sara glared, remembering how powerful Darhk had become after Felicity was forced to blow up Havenrock.

**Oliver said that Reiter was becoming a monster, while Reiter corrected Oliver that he was becoming a god.**

"No god would ever kill innocent people just for the fun of it." Laurel sneered.

**Reiter's eyes glowed yellow as he grabbed Oliver by his throat and lifted him up but suddenly, Reiter's eyes regained their original color as he realized he was losing his power, causing for him to drop Oliver.**

"What the…" Tommy trailed off as they all stared, wondering what just happened.

"He didn't drain enough life force." Sara explained.

**Reiter protested that he needed more power as Oliver punched him in the face and Reiter fell down. Oliver grabbed Reiter's gun before approaching unconscious Taiana, checking her heartbeat and was relieved to know that she was alright. Oliver shook her, waking her up but she looked in horror to see that Reiter had managed to disappear as she and Oliver looked at where Reiter was a moment ago.**

"Oh, no…" Quentin said, all of them worried.

**They realized that Reiter was looking for the idol and that it was chance to save Taiana's friends.**

"But what about Reiter?" Roy pointed out.

"What were they going to do about him?" Diggle argued.

**Taiana argued that they needed to deal with Reiter's men as Oliver handed her a pistol before picking up another, intending to shoot their way through them and that they could not hesitate to kill them, much to Taiana's discomfort.**

"Well, it's a little like when Oliver met Slade the first time." Diggle said as everyone nodded.

**Taiana sighed, wondering how was the island making everyone a monster.**

Everyone again felt deep sympathy for her and Oliver.

**Taiana looked at the photo of her and Vlad, when they were younger as Oliver said that he had a photo of Laurel from his past too that it reminded him of who he used to be.**

Once again, everyone, especially Laurel, felt touched that Oliver had been holding onto the memory of her.

**Oliver then pointed out that the person that he just described, would never have survived on Lian Yu and that Taiana needed to let go of the past too, in order to survive.**

Everyone remembered the advice Yao Fei had told Oliver, feeling sad about what Oliver had been through.

**Taiana nodded in understanding before she picked her gun and got up, intending to help Oliver fight their way out. Three of the soldiers in the prison were on guard before they heard screams, getting up in alert as Taiana went out from the hole leading to the caverns, terrified, claiming that "Conklin" had killed everyone and that she ran away as two of the soldiers entered and another one helped Taiana sit down before she saw the keys to the cells before they heard gunshots from the caverns. The third soldier neared the hole before Taiana got up and shot him down and taking his rifle before stealing the keys. Oliver got out from the hole, shooting down some of the soldiers as Taiana unlocked the cells, freeing the slaves.**

"Good." Diggle said, admiring how good soldier Oliver had become, all of them impressed by him.

**Oliver, Taiana and the slaves attempted to fend off the soldiers. As soon as they were sure they had killed the last of them, Oliver ordered for the slaves to run to the boats. Taiana wondered what was Oliver going to do as Oliver said that he was going to deal with Reiter but Taiana argued that Reiter was unstoppable with the idol before Oliver saw the crates with C4, intending to bury Reiter alive.**

"Oh. That's actually clever." Tommy said.

"It wasn't going to be that simple." Sara said, much to their disappointment.

**Oliver prepared the explosives as Taiana noted that the island truly had changed him before she asked for Oliver to show her the photo of Laurel that was worn off at that point as Taiana noted that Laurel was beautiful, while Oliver told her his history with Laurel, pointing out that she probably would be ashamed and horrified of the man that Oliver had become.**

Everyone felt sad for and sympathetic towards Oliver again.

**Taiana asked Oliver that in case that she did not make it off Lian Yu, Oliver would go to Russia and tell her parents what happened to her and Vlad, while she promised that Oliver did not make it, she would find Laurel, telling her how Oliver saved them all as they shook hands.**

Everyone was impressed by the woman, feeling a lot of respect for her as they wondered what did happen to her.

**Reiter was walking down the tunnels with the idol until the soldiers approached him, while back in the prison, Oliver and Taiana took cover as Oliver pressed the trigger, causing for the rubble to barricade the entrance. Reiter pointed out that he might live if the soldiers would die, much to their confusion as Reiter pulled out his gun and shot them as the idol drained their life force, making Reiter more powerful.**

"Killing his own men to gain more power?" Tommy demanded, all of them horrified.

"Damien Darhk did the same thing to his own men, either just for the fun of it or because they had failed him." Sara explained and suddenly all of them felt a lot of hate for the sorcerer madman, the rival of Ra's al Ghul.

**Reiter said an incantation in Latin " _Kanjigar septum vonostrum_ " as the tunnel exploded.**

Sara shivered and growled again at hearing those words.

"Did he die?" Quentin asked.

"Detective, have you ever seen a horror movie? These guys don't stay dead, especially if you don't find a body." Felicity said and no one could disagree with her assessment.

**Back on the surface, in the camp, the slaves and the soldiers engaged in a firefight as Oliver entered Reiter's command tent, looking into his files for a way off the island until he found a map of Lian Yu, showing an airfield with a plane before Oliver picked up the A.R.G.U.S. backpack with the communication device and a rifle, deciding to call out for help as he and Taiana were trying to help the slaves as one of the slaves said that Reiter was calling out for reinforcements, telling them that they had overheard him on a radio as Oliver and Taiana realized that Reiter was more powerful than they had expected.**

"Damn it!" Roy said as everyone groaned.

"How are they going to stop him?" Thea wondered.

"Well, not in the good way." Sara said as all of them became worried how was this going to turn out.

**Oliver handed Taiana his backpack, ordering her to lead them to the plane, deciding to stop Reiter as Taiana argued that she was going to stay with him. Oliver reminded her that she had said that it took monster to stop a monster before ordering her to get the slaves to safety as Taiana nodded, leading them away.**

Everyone was hoping Oliver would stop Reiter somehow.

**Oliver waited until the night came as Reiter appeared, holding the idol in his hand and putting it onto a barrel, telling Oliver that his men were searching for his "property" and that he had killed some of the stragglers, gaining more power as his eyes glowed yellow.**

Everyone glared at Reiter again, despite that he was more powerful at the moment.

**Reiter waved his hand, disarming Oliver of his rifle with telekinesis before pushing Oliver back, as he was sent flying against the tent wall as it crashed. Oliver rushed out, punching Reiter in his face relentlessly until Reiter dodged, causing for Oliver to fall down. Reiter waved his hand, sending Oliver crashing against some small barrels. Oliver stabbed Reiter in the chest with a knife but it had no effect as Reiter grabbed Oliver by his throat, choking him as Reiter's eyes glowed yellow again, commending on Oliver's efforts, despite still being a mortal.**

"How the hell is Ollie going to beat this guy?" Thea said out loud what everyone was wondering.

**Reiter pulled the knife out of his chest, about to stab Oliver before Taiana shot it off Reiter's hand, causing for Reiter to let Oliver go as Taiana kept on shooting him.**

"Oh, thank God." Laurel sighed in relief as everyone relaxed.

"It's going to take more than that to stop Reiter." Sara pointed out grimly as everyone's concern returned.

**Oliver picked a rifle, shooting at Reiter as well, not that it had any effect on the warlord, asides from Reiter staggering back. Oliver shot down two of the soldiers before throwing a grenade at Reiter as the explosion knocked him down, while Oliver and Taiana took cover. Reiter opened his eyes as Oliver told Taiana that they needed to run, while Oliver kept on shooting at Reiter, ordering for Taiana to get the idol as far away from Reiter as possible until the idol glowed as they ran away.**

"Oh, no…" Quentin whispered, hoping he was wrong.

"What?" Felicity asked as everyone turned to him, confused until Diggle, Laurel and Tommy followed up onto his thoughts.

"Wait, did that thing… affect her too?" Laurel asked Sara and the look in her eyes told them everything they needed to know, making them worried about Oliver and Taiana.

**As the sun came up, Taiana ordered for Oliver to stop as they were in the middle of the forest and Taiana dropped the idol, gasping in pain and Oliver turned to her, concerned until her eyes glowed yellow.**

"Oh, my God…" Thea whispered, all of them worried how much would the idol's power corrupt Taiana and realizing what did happen to her, making their sympathies for Oliver grow even more.

**Oliver's eyes lit up in horror as he stepped back. They kept on walking down the forest as Oliver explained that Taiana's eyes glowed like Reiter's, much to her horror as Oliver assured her that they would find a way to help her but that they needed to keep moving at the moment.**

"Did she make it?" Moira wondered, although the answer seemed obvious as the atmosphere turned cold and solemn once again as they felt deep sympathies for Oliver again for apparently losing another person he had cared about.

**Two soldiers appeared, shooting at them, hitting Oliver from behind in the shoulder as he fell down, screaming in pain. Taiana screamed in horror as the soldiers shot at her back but it did not faze her as she breathed out, her face turning into one of relentless rage, much to Oliver's and the soldiers' horror. Oliver shot down the two soldiers as the idol drained their life force, channeling it to Taiana as she immediately felt intoxicated by the idol's power.**

"Oh, no." Roy said, all of them immediately realizing that it was going to get worse.

**Oliver immediately grew worried for her but Taiana assured Oliver that everything was going to be alright and understanding what Reiter was after as she picked up the idol as they walked down the forest, with Oliver arguing that Reiter was insane. Taiana pointed out that like Reiter, she had a village too in Krasnoyarsk ran by a government strongman named Konstantin Kovar and that she now had the power to free her home. Oliver attempted to calm her down, while trying to make her focus on the slaves that needed help, asking her what would Vlad want to do as Taiana considered.**

"At least he was more able to talk some sense into her than to Slade." Quentin noted and everyone nodded.

**The soldiers continued to hunt down the slaves, throwing grenades as explosions sent the slaves flying in the air and shooting them down until Oliver and Taiana appeared, shooting down the soldiers until Taiana's eyes glowed yellow again, much to the soldiers' horror as they ran away, while Oliver and Taiana told the slaves they would hold off Reiter's men while they would get to the plane.**

**Oliver wanted to tend to one of the injured slaves, while Taiana pointed out that he would only slow them down and Oliver protested that they could not leave the slave behind. Taiana agreed, aiming her gun at the slave until Oliver tried to stop her as she said that he was going to die anyway and at least his death would make her more powerful.**

"She's lost it. Just like Reiter." Laurel realized.

"Or like Slade." Sara nodded as everyone realized what must have happened, feeling sad for Oliver having to do it.

**Oliver stepped up, disarming Taiana and trying to talk some sense into her, while Taiana argued that this was the only way she could stop Reiter as Oliver attempted to reason with her and that the idol was warping her mind. Taiana glared, throwing Oliver away and he groaned in pain before he saw Taiana nearing a slave and snapping his neck, much to his horror.**

Everyone gasped at Taiana's brutality, realizing how much did the idol corrupt her.

**Oliver grabbed the idol, as Taiana demanded for Oliver to give it back and Oliver said that she would have to take it over his dead body, counting on that she would not kill Oliver until Reiter showed up, aiming a gun at him, intending to kill them both as Taiana glared at Reiter, with her eyes glowing yellow again.**

"I hope he gets his now." Quentin said.

"He will." Sara said, although they noticed how sad she sounded, realizing that Taiana did not make it out alive, making the atmosphere solemn.

**Reiter shot Oliver in the leg and Oliver screamed as he fell down, taunting Taiana for trying to kill him, saying that she would die too without the protective runes Reiter had tattooed on his arms, not that Taiana cared, as long as she would take Reiter down.**

"Oh, my God…" Thea said, realizing how far gone Taiana was if she had a death wish.

**Oliver pointed at the sky, showing the plane flying away, explaining that the slaves were getting away and that Reiter had lost. Reiter knew however that Oliver was bluffing and that were not all the slaves, due to the size of the plane as Reiter raised his hand and clenched his fist as the plane exploded and Taiana gasped in horror.**

Everyone stared in disbelief at what Reiter had just done until they realized that the idol just absorbed more of the power from the dead people in the plane.

**Reiter's and Taiana's eyes glowed again as the deaths fueled the idol. Taiana roared and rushed at Reiter but Reiter knocked her down and grabbed her by her throat, slamming her to a stump and choking her. Oliver got behind Reiter and grabbed his knife from the holster before Reiter threw Oliver away telekinetically. Reiter grabbed Taiana by her throat again as she was losing color, draining her life force but Taiana glared as suddenly, she was regaining color and Reiter was losing his as they traded their respective positions until Oliver threw the knife at Reiter from behind and Reiter fell down, dead.**

"At least that bastard is finally dead." Diggle said.

"But what about her?" Moira pointed out, all of them worried about Taiana, realizing she was not going to make it out alive.

**Taiana got up, gasping as her eyes glowed yellow again. Oliver tried to reason with her but she threw him away with her telekinesis, knocking Oliver against a tree before he fell down. Taiana roared, grabbing Oliver by his throat and choking him, letting her anger and rage take over.**

"Oh, no…" Tommy said, all of them worried about Oliver.

**Oliver struggled for his breath as he tried to reason with her, telling her that she did not have to let the darkness consume her, unlike how it consumed him. Taiana came to her senses and breathed out, letting Oliver go and getting up, horrified of what she had done, apologizing to Oliver and realizing that the idol was warping her mind. Oliver tried to assure her that they would find a way to stop it but Taiana said that there was only one way to stop her and that Oliver had to kill her.**

"What?" Thea, Tommy and Felicity exclaimed, with the rest of them stunned by what she was suggesting before they felt more sympathy for Oliver.

"Wasn't there another way?" Felicity asked in vain hope.

"Maybe." Sara admitted. "But back then, Ollie had no way of knowing that and he would have been just wasting time trying to find it."

Everyone felt a lot of pity for Oliver, never expecting that he would have to kill someone he cared about, out of mercy, to put them out of their misery.

**Oliver protested he was not going to kill her but Taiana grabbed him by his shirt, begging him to kill her before she would kill anyone else on the island and become worse than Reiter. Taiana begged, hoping that Oliver did really care for her. Reluctant, eventually Oliver nodded as he gave in as she reminded him what did he promise her. Oliver nodded that he would not forget, hugging Taiana and apologizing to her. He then threw her head to the side quickly as he heard and felt in his hands the bones crack as he snapped her neck as Taiana went limp before he put her lifeless body to the ground.**

Diggle and Quentin closed their eyes as Moira, Thea, Felicity and Laurel felt their eyes get wet and Tommy and Roy simply looked away, unable to watch as they mourned for another person that Oliver had lost in the five years he was gone and realizing that this probably was so far the hardest thing he ever had to do in his life, putting someone he cared about, out of their misery.

**A moment later, the slaves neared Oliver and the dead Taiana, angered that Oliver killed her as they aimed their guns at him.**

"Shit." Diggle cursed, realizing that it was about to become much worse for Oliver as everyone paled.

**Oliver got up, trying to explain that she begged him to kill her and that the idol was the cause of it and that Taiana had become corrupted by the darkness in the idol as he explained that Reiter had destroyed the plane and that there was another way off the island. Later, Oliver buried Taiana next to Robert, Yao Fei and Shado until Waller approached him, surprised that Oliver would call out to her, while pointing out that their business was concluded, with him stopping Reiter and saving a lot of lives, while Oliver argued that he had lost some in the process too.**

Everyone again felt a lot of sympathy for Oliver.

**Waller reminded that Oliver needed to go through the darkness to find his way out as Oliver said that he was still filled with darkness, while Waller argued that the darkness would always be with him and that he needed to find out that sometimes, killing was the only way to get justice.**

Everyone growled and glared at Waller hatefully, especially Quentin, Moira, Laurel, Tommy, Thea and Diggle.

"Maybe sometimes law doesn't help to bring justice but what she's doing, is not making things any better." Quentin growled. "I'm going to enjoy her face, when we put her on trial and make her answer to the White House."

"I think we all will." Diggle nodded.

**The A.R.G.U.S. agents put the idol into the container, deciding to store it away as they brought to Oliver Yao Fei's crate with his hood and bow and quiver, making Oliver wonder what to do with it. Waller explained that unless Oliver wanted to, she and he were done and that justice sometimes required killing and that she could use his skills.**

"Like hell if you ever touch my son again." Moira sneered as everyone, especially her, Thea, Laurel, Tommy and Quentin glared at Waller.

**She then jokingly remarked that Oliver could always return back to vigilantism, if as Oliver picked Robert's notebook but Oliver said that he was not going home yet or joining Waller as he closed the crate, saying that he had a promise to keep.**

"So, he went to Russia at the end of Year Four." Tommy realized.

"And he met an old friend back there." Sara said as everyone realized what was she talking about.

"So that's how he joined Bratva." Diggle said, looking forward to seeing the next recording.

"Let's get something to eat first and then we'll head back here in an hour, OK?" Sara said as they nodded and got up from their seats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I don't know about you but I think that the whole "Happy thoughts stop magic" and "Light vs. Darkness" we got in the show was stupid. I'll admit, I had not thought that one through when writing my story "The Dar(h)k War" but I couldn't think of a proper substitute. Some people, not so satisfied with how the showrunners handled the magic aspect, attempted to make it like stronger emotions stop magic, such as bigger willpower or hatred than Darhk. Does it sound stupid? Maybe but it's more believable than the whole "Light vs. Darkness" type of shit we got in the show. Plus, it's stupid that if Oliver had encountered the magic of the idol before on Lian Yu, he didn't think to put it together what was Darhk using in the present in Season 4 and resort to different approach to stop Darhk but then again, the showrunners, unsurprisingly, were thinking like three episodes ahead at best. Again, inconsistency in Arrow.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	19. Interlude IV - Break 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara fills the viewers in on Robert's old secrets, while revealing more about the dark future that awaits them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Sara was feeding Mia as everyone smiled, Moira, Thea, Quentin, Laurel and Felicity playing with the baby.

"Did Oliver ever…" Moira stopped, all of them wondering if Oliver ever got a chance to meet his child.

"We did raise Mia together. For a time." Sara said. "Until the Crisis came and…"

"I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for him." Felicity said. "Him for billions of lives…"

"Oh, none of us took it well, when we found out what Ollie had done to save us all." Sara nodded, as they all saw how sad she was. "But look, before we watch the next memory, there is something else I need to tell you."

"Great. More secrets. What now?" Laurel grumbled as everyone grew concerned about what other skeletons were out there.

"There's something I need to tell you. About Robert. Just like you, Robert had another lover during your marriage." She turned to Moira as everyone groaned.

"Great. And let me guess, he has an illegitimate spawn too." Quentin said as everyone shot him a glare, not that it affected him, while Tommy and Thea shivered at the thought of having another half-sibling.

"Yeah." Sara said grimly. "The woman's name was Kazumi Adachi. Robert and her had sired a daughter but Robert abandoned them… thirteen years ago from your time, choosing you, Ollie and Thea over her." She turned to the Queens, who weren't sure whether to feel touched by Robert's choice or disgusted by his infidelity. Apparently, it was a recurring theme of Oliver's and Thea's parents, making everyone wonder what kind of messed up family did they both grow up in. "Eventually, Robert was forced to abandon them both, since Kazumi would not let him become a part of her life."

Moira sighed, realizing where Sara was going with this. "That woman was bitter that Robert had chosen us over them and she threatened to destroy Robert's reputation if he ever became a part of their lives and it would cost us all dearly, so Robert chose to leave them for us."

"Well, it's not like there was a good choice that would please all sides." Roy reasoned and everyone nodded.

"However, Kazumi and Emiko did not like that and they had become embittered towards him. Towards us. Then, Emiko, when she was eleven, met a man named Dante, who worked for a terrorist organization called the Ninth Circle. He took her in, training her until she eventually became their leader, hating the Queens for what they had done to her family and vowing to destroy your and Robert's legacy. And they accomplished it eventually, in the future, when Ollie died. None of us were able to stop the Ninth Circle and it took thirty years until we did, at least from what I've seen." Sara said grimly.

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Laurel wondered.

"Honestly, I don't know. Maybe you could fix the mistakes Robert had made but it may be too late by now." Sara said as everyone considered what they should do about Emiko and the Ninth Circle.  **[1]**

"Anything else?" Quentin asked.

"Well, I won't lie, there are going to be some things that you're going to hate see Ollie do. But just for a reminder, he was still struggling with his inner darkness." Sara said. "But, there was one woman that you need to be wary of. Her name is Talia al Ghul."

Everyone widened their eyes as Felicity spoke up. "Al Ghul, as in…"

"Ra's al Ghul's older daughter." Sara nodded. "It's a long story but she and Ra's never got along and she renounced him, however, due to some events set in motion by Merlyn, Ollie was forced to kill Ra's. Talia, despite all that, still had loved her father and she lost it, allying herself with Chase, since Yao Fei was one of her students too, both of them vowing to make Ollie suffer as she taught him everything Ollie had learnt in the five years he was gone, maybe even more. They almost did accomplish in making Ollie suffer and it was pure luck that Ollie beat them, at great cost, though. And don't ask me what happened. Please." She said, reliving the pain, none of them intending to dig deeper. "Like I said, you need to make sure Ollie kills Malcolm, otherwise you will all suffer."

"And… what about Slade?" Tommy wondered.

"I've talked with him already. He said that, knowing then what he knew now, he rather would have died than do what he did to Oliver." Sara said.

"So, what, you want us to let Oliver kill one of his best friends?" Felicity asked, not believing what was Sara suggesting.

"Back then, none of us were sure if the psychological effects of the Mirakuru would ever wear off, when we cured him after he had killed Moira." Sara explained. "But because of you two, Ollie decided to spare him and imprison him. Yeah, he recovered his marbles later but a lot of people had died by then."

None of them were sure how to feel, considering Slade's willingness to die to spare everyone of so much pain.

"Look, what you see Ollie go through… I think this may be the darkest year of when he was gone. So, please, don't judge Ollie for what he did." Sara pleaded as they were finishing their lunch, considering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Some people have wondered that if Oliver had found Robert's letter before Kazumi's death, since she died sometime during Season 7, killed by Bear, one of the Longbow Hunters, maybe he could have redeemed Emiko earlier but considering that Emiko apparently knew about the Gambit being sabotaged, I think it's too little too late.
> 
> And, just for the record, I am going to change up the whole "skinning a guy for practice" thing, because it was inconsistent with Oliver's character development and turned him into a monster and it was done, only so that Guggenheim and Mericle would make us spite Oliver's character.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	20. The Bratva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see Oliver meeting an old friend in Russia, while joining the Bratva and making some choices that make him question his beliefs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

They sat back at their seats as Diggle took a breath. "Well, Oliver joining the Bratva. I've always wondered how exactly did that happen."

"Well, before I turn this on, I need to give you a heads-up." Sara warned, making all of them wary and worried about what Oliver had done, when in Russia. "Like I've said, the final year may have been the darkest one in those five years he was gone. You're going to see Ollie do more darker things that you won't approve of or like and you might judge him for them. But you need to know, Ollie did those things only out of necessity and because he had been deep in darkness back then and it took a long time before he found his way out.

I'm just asking you to understand and not condemn him, when you see him do all that."

Everyone nodded. After seeing what Oliver had done in the four years they have seen so far, it was almost impossible for them to condemn Oliver for doing them, considering the circumstances and Oliver's struggle with his inner darkness.

"Well, we've already seen Oliver do some pretty awful stuff. This shouldn't be that hard to swallow." Felicity shrugged and Sara laughed.

"Oh, Felicity, before the recording is finished, you're going to be eating those words." Sara said grimly with a dark smile on her face and everyone again had the uncomfortable feeling in their stomachs at imagining or seeing Oliver do something horrible, making them more reluctant to watch but they have come too far to back away.

"Turn it on, please." Quentin said as Sara turned on the recording.

**In Krasnoyarsk in Russia, people were either drinking booze or taking bets with bookmakers as they were circling around Oliver, shirtless and with his hair longer, much like before he returned to Lian Yu to infiltrate Reiter's operation, fighting a tall, muscular man. Due to the man's size, Oliver was in a small disadvantage as his opponent hit him in the face and Oliver fell down.**

"A fight club?!" Tommy demanded, all of them shocked, never expecting Oliver to go through something so extreme.

"Whatever it took for Ollie to get to Kovar." Sara said.

"The guy that took over Taiana's village." Quentin remembered, all of them realizing why was Oliver doing something so… beneath him.

**Oliver got up and rushed at the man, dodging his punch and jumping off the wall, getting on his back and wrapping his arms around the man's neck. The man attempted to shake Oliver off and slammed him to a wall but Oliver did not let go as the man fell to his knees, while a man at a chair, that served to him like some kind of a throne, with a tattoo of a strange symbol on his right hand and faint red light shining on him, observed as Oliver grabbed his opponent in a neck lock and snapped his neck, as he fell down, dead, while the man and his cohorts, also covered in the red light, observed Oliver, displeased, though.**

None of the viewers were disturbed by Oliver killing the man, however, they knew immediately that the men that had been watching him, were going to bring trouble.

"Uh-oh." Tommy said.

"Looks like this guy was their champion." Felicity realized and Quentin, Diggle, Roy and Sara nodded.

"Well, this is not going to end well for Oliver." Roy said, speaking from his experience with the fight clubs in the Glades, as all of them became worried what kind of trouble did Oliver get himself into this time.

**Oliver left the fight club, dressed up as the ringleader approached him with some cash in his hand, wanting to pay Oliver for his victory as he spoke in Russian. Oliver replied that he did not care about money but wanted what the ringleader had promised him, if Oliver won.**

"Let me guess, getting to Kovar?" Diggle asked and Sara nodded.

"Although, as you know already, it did not go down as Ollie had planned." Sara said and everyone groaned, wondering what kind of trouble was Oliver going to get himself into this time.

**The ringleader nodded but was curious why did Oliver want to meet Kovar, while Oliver coldly said that it was none of the ringleader's business.**

"There's nothing wrong with being curious, although being too nosy often gets you into a lot of trouble." Quentin pointed out and Felicity, Roy, Thea and Laurel winced, with Felicity thinking how lucky she was that Malcolm had not taken care of her, like with Walter, when they were getting in too deep, Roy and Thea remembering Oliver trying to talk them out of looking for the Hood and Laurel remembering her investigating Jason Brodeur, Cyrus Vanch or Garfield Lynns.

**A moment later, a man appeared at the stairwell and the ringleader paled.**

"Uh-oh." Felicity said, all of them immediately realizing that Oliver was about to get himself into trouble again.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Tommy trailed off.

"Something tells me that Oliver pissed off wrong people by killing that guy earlier." Quentin said and Diggle, Roy, Laurel and Moira were suspecting as much, all of them worried about Oliver again.

**The ringleader explained to Oliver that he was not supposed to win and that the man that Oliver had killed in the ring, was the top earner and best fighter of the people approaching him. Oliver asked for details before he felt a Taser on his back. Oliver grunted and passed out but not before hearing that the men attacking him, were Bratva.**

" _That's_  how he got in?" Diggle demanded, not believing what was going on.

"Well, let's just say it wasn't a pleasant start." Sara explained cryptically, all of them again wondering how much trouble was Oliver about to get himself into this time.

**When Oliver woke up, one of the men that had been observing Oliver in the fight club earlier, gently smacked Oliver on his face as Oliver came to, restrained to the chair in some storage area as another man, who apparently was their leader, entered, displeased that Oliver had killed their best fighter.**

Sara growled and glared at the sight of the man interrogating Oliver.

"I'm guessing this guy's bad news, like Conklin?" Roy asked as the viewers saw the glare she was giving.

"Well, Viktor is an ass, I'll say that much." Sara replied, although the look she was giving Viktor, said more than enough as everyone wondered how much trouble was he going to be.

**Displeased, Viktor said that Oliver had cost him a lot of money. Oliver attempted to apologize in Russian as Viktor laughed, commenting that Oliver's accent was terrible, realizing that Oliver was an American as Viktor faced him, holding in his hand Robert's notebook. Viktor demanded to know what was Oliver doing in Russia before he read from the notebook the names, such as Adam Hunt, Daniel Brickwell or Frank Bertinelli. Oliver glared at Viktor, demanding for him to return the notebook back.**

"Oh, you really don't want to piss him off." Tommy said, getting flashbacks from when he and Oliver were kidnapped, when Oliver had returned from Lian Yu.

**Viktor ignored Oliver, wanting to know what was the purpose of the notebook as Oliver explained that it belonged to Robert. Viktor, indifferent to Oliver's answer, pulled out a gun, aiming at Oliver's head, intending to kill him.**

"Oh, like hell." Thea sneered as everyone glared at Viktor.

"Don't worry." Sara said but none of them relaxed, still focusing their fierce gaze at the screen.

**Suddenly, another man entered and grabbed Viktor's hand, causing for him to miss and shooting at the wall. Oliver opened his eyes and saw a familiar face and heard a familiar voice, a bearded man with blue eyes.**

"Anatoly!" Felicity said and all of them relaxed.

"Ollie saved his life. No way Anatoly would not repay the favor." Sara said, all of them glad that Oliver had such a loyal friend.

**Anatoly told Viktor _not_  to shoot at his friend as Viktor apologized, saying that he had no idea as Anatoly ordered Viktor to leave him and Oliver in private. Viktor ordered his men to leave with him before Oliver requested his book back. Viktor stopped at the exit and glowering, he put the book at some boxes before leaving as Oliver looked shocked to see his old friend in Russia, with cut hair and shorter beard.**

"Yeah, it's a shock to see a familiar face." Tommy teased and everyone snickered.

**Anatoly smiled at Oliver as Oliver chuckled before Anatoly went behind Oliver and touched his hands and Oliver screamed as they both heard the bones in his hands crack.**

"What the hell did he just do?!" Thea demanded, her, Moira and Felicity stunned, Laurel, Tommy, Quentin, Roy or Diggle not so much.

"He broke Oliver's wrists." Roy explained.

"Yeah, I've seen that trick in many films." Tommy nodded.

"More like thumbs." Diggle corrected. "Wrists are good with cuffs, for zip-cuffs, breaking thumbs is easier."

Quentin shot Diggle a glare, as Diggle did not realize that he unintentionally gave Roy few tips about freeing himself, if the police would ever catch him again as Roy smirked, considering.

"Don't even think about it, Harper." Quentin growled, glaring at Roy, who gave him an "innocent" smile.

**Anatoly explained that he had dislocated Oliver's thumbs, which was useful, when tied to a chair. Oliver showed Anatoly his now freed hands as Anatoly again pressed Oliver's thumbs as bones cracked again, explaining that Oliver could do that himself, with some practice and Oliver groaned, complaining, why didn't Anatoly just simply cut him loose, while Anatoly laughed, noting where was the fun in that.**

None of the viewers could help themselves but snicker.

"Oh, man, this is going to be so much fun with this guy." Tommy said.

"Well, that depends on your definition of "fun"." Sara warned as they got ahold of themselves, getting serious again.

**Anatoly laughed, patting Oliver on his shoulder, wondering how was Oliver alive and what was he doing in Russia as Oliver got up, explaining that he had arrived to kill Konstantin Kovar and Anatoly's face turned grim, explaining that helping Oliver did him no favor.**

"I'm guessing Bratva doesn't have it easy with Kovar, does it?" Moira deduced.

"Solntsevskaya Bratva were competitors to Kovar's criminal organization." Sara explained and all of them nodded, realizing that things were going to be much more complicated for Oliver than they had thought, not that it surprised them at this point.

**Oliver and Anatoly went out on the street, with Anatoly pointing out that things were never simple with Oliver as Oliver was explaining to him what had happened, since they met the last time.**

"You have no idea…" Diggle said and everyone nodded.

**Oliver explained that he had no idea that he was in town belonging to Bratva or that Anatoly was a Bratva boss, while Anatoly corrected that he was "avtoritet" actually, which was basically Bratva captain. Anatoly inquired to know what business did Oliver have with Kovar as Oliver explained that he had a promise to keep as Anatoly pointed out that it was more likely that Oliver would die trying to kill Kovar than actually succeeding.**

Everyone tensed and paled.

"How dangerous this Kovar guy is?" Thea wondered.

"Very. Not any less dangerous than Fyers, Anthony, Slade, Waller, Shrieve or Reiter." Sara explained and everyone realized how much over his head was Oliver getting himself into this time.

"Why didn't you just come home?" Moira sighed, all of them wondering the same thing.

**Oliver asked Anatoly if he could get Oliver close to Kovar. Anatoly explained that it was dangerous, with Kovar controlling an army of government soldiers, asking Oliver if he was willing to risk his own life. Oliver was silent, making his answer obvious, before Anatoly said a saying in Russian, " _The shark that does not swim, drowns._ ", explaining that Oliver was not swimming, asking Oliver to let the promise he had made to Taiana, go and move on but Oliver did not react, asking Anatoly if he would help.**

"If he knew Ollie that well, he'd know that once Ollie sets his mind onto something, it's a miracle if someone is able to talk him out of it." Laurel said and everyone nodded.

**Anatoly nodded and gave in, warning Oliver that it was going to be very risky and life-threatening.**

"Well, Oliver has been through worse." Felicity pointed out before everyone, her included, groaned.

"You just had to say it, did you?" Tommy grumbled, all of them shooting the blonde with glasses a glare as Felicity could feel herself shrink.

"Me and my big mouth…" Felicity muttered, deciding  _not_  to make any wisecrack comments anymore.

**Anatoly accompanied Oliver into the back of a building, that seemed like an entrance to a storage area, explaining that only Bratva could match Kovar's army as Viktor and other members of Bratva waited as Oliver realized that Anatoly was going to initiate him into Bratva.**

"This is going to be painful, is it?" Roy realized, all of them remembering Slade training Oliver.

"Yup." Sara said, popping the 'p' and everyone wondered what kind of brutality was Oliver going to face now.

**Anatoly warned that Oliver needed to be careful, or that Oliver would die as Oliver decided to give in, starting the process of becoming a member of Bratva.**

Everyone was curious at first how did Oliver join them. Now, they were more worried how much trouble was Oliver going to get himself into and how was he going to make it out this time.

**Oliver was knocked out and when he came to, he was inside some large hall, alongside with other people lying on the ground and Bratva thugs waking them up by splashing them with buckets of water. Oliver staggered on his feet, demanding to know what was going on as one of the Bratva ordered them to get on the line on the floor, made by black duct tape.**

"I'm guessing this is an initiation process." Roy said, speaking from his experience with other gangs from the Glades as Sara nodded.

"And I'm guessing it's going to be quite painful." Diggle added as he, Roy, Tommy and Quentin watched with intrigue, Quentin especially paid extra attention, wondering if there was something in the recordings he could use later to take down Bratva in Starling City.

**Oliver and other people, who apparently were more candidates, got on the line as the man in black coat, wearing glasses and a hood and apparently the one in charge of the audition, ordered for them to ring the bell at the pillar. The candidates tried to get past the brawlers blocking their way but were unable to fight their way through, Oliver included, as they ended up beaten down, lying on the floor. Oliver spat out blood as the man blocking him, hit him with a baton in the stomach as Oliver fell down before the man hit him in the face, finishing Oliver off.**

Tommy, Moira, Thea, Felicity and Laurel tensed at seeing how brutal the initiation was, although neither Roy, Diggle or Quentin were really surprised.

"Yeah, I know gangs in the Glades that are just as brutal, when recruiting." Roy said and everyone whirled on him, glaring. "No, I've never tried to join any of them, I know better than that but I know a lot of people who have tried and almost ended up dead."

Everyone nodded, understanding as Quentin wondered whether he should use Roy as a possible source of intel regarding the crime in the Glades.

"Yeah, well, Ollie tried this on his new recruits later, when your old team disbanded after Ollie killed Darhk." Sara said. "Didn't work out so well."

"After I died, right?" Laurel realized, the atmosphere turning solemn again.

"Most of you left, unable to follow Ollie because too much had happened and Ollie needed a team." Sara said. "Although, you may have chosen some… questionable recruits, Felicity."  **[1]**

"Me? Why?" Felicity wondered what did she do wrong again.

"We'll talk about that later." Sara said.

**Oliver groaned as he and the candidates got up on their feet, beaten up and getting on the line before he turned to them, suggesting that they needed to move the Bratva brawlers aside, distracting them as one of the candidates would sneak past them and ring the bell as the candidates realized that they needed to work together to win.**

"Teamwork. Always a good strategy." Quentin said as everyone nodded.

**The candidates got on the line, engaging Bratva again and slowing them down enough for Oliver to get past and ring the bell.**

"Yeah!" Thea cheered, most of them glad that Oliver's plan worked, although Diggle, Quentin, Moira, Roy and Laurel suspected that there was more to it, not as relaxed as Thea, Felicity or Tommy.

**The Bratva and the candidates stopped, looking at Oliver before the man overseeing the audition, pulled out a gun and shot down most of the candidates, save for Oliver, much to his shock.**

"What the hell?" Felicity exclaimed, shocked.

"Didn't you find it suspicious that all it took was one person to ring the bell?" Sara pointed out.

"So, wait, and the other ones are then sentenced to their deaths? What kind of messed up gang is it?" Thea demanded.

"Russians." Quentin said, as if it explained everything.

**Later, Oliver and Anatoly walked down the corridor, with Oliver wondering why did the other candidates have to die. Anatoly explained that Oliver rang the bell and they did not, with Oliver protesting that they helped him. Anatoly explained that Oliver had used the candidates as a team, using his brains, which was what Bratva needed and Oliver glared at Anatoly, saying if he had known what was going to happen, he never would have done it and get them sentenced them to death. Anatoly then coldly told Oliver that the only person he could trust, was himself and Oliver held his wound on his hip, receiving it from the initiation, realizing that it must have reopened.**

"Ollie…" Laurel sighed, all of them realizing why did not Oliver tell them his secret.

"Considering how many times he got screwed over, it's been hard for him to trust anyone. Let someone in." Sara said, all of them again feeling sad for Oliver.

**Oliver passed out from the pain and when he came to, he was in some makeshift infirmary in a warehouse as Anatoly approached him, with Oliver lying on bed and next to him a table with glasses and bottles of some beverage as Anatoly sat down, reminiscing about times on _Amazo_  and sharing his memories with Oliver as Oliver looked at his bandaged wound, lifting his shirt.**

"He was a good friend." Diggle noted, all of them realizing how close Oliver and Anatoly were.

**Anatoly offered Oliver a drink as Oliver declined before Anatoly explained that it was water. Oliver drank it, wondering if he made a mistake by joining Bratva as Anatoly reminded that it was the only way to get to Bratva as Oliver got up as Oliver said that he would take his chances.**

"Ollie…" Laurel trailed off, none of them sure whether to be annoyed or impressed by how stubborn he was.

"Guess that's one thing that never changes with him." Moira pointed out as everyone nodded.

**Oliver wondered what was the point of the test as Anatoly explained that Oliver needed to trust Bratva, which Oliver was anything but willing to, considering what they did earlier at the initiation. Anatoly realized that Oliver was planning to walk away before he ordered Oliver to follow him because Anatoly wanted to show him something.**

Everyone wondered what was Anatoly up to.

**Anatoly and Oliver entered the garden of an elderly woman named Miss Volodarsky, who was hanging some clothes to dry before turning to Anatoly. She asked about her son as Anatoly showed her a photo of one of the candidates that had been killed at the initiation, explaining that he died and Miss Volodarsky thanked Anatoly, with her eyes getting wet as she hugged him, thanking for bringing her son's killer to justice, saying that he had been mugged for money before she left to inform her husband.**

"What?" Thea asked, all of them more than a little shocked.

"That recruit was a killer?" Felicity realized, all of them realizing that most of the recruits were criminals.

"Do you believe, that asides from Ollie, anyone, who wanted into Bratva, was a good man?" Sara pointed out and everyone felt a little ashamed of judging the methods of Bratva, although, the truth did not make much of a difference.

**Oliver realized that the recruit was a murderer and Anatoly nodded, explaining that the recruit was a son of Kovar's friend, who walked free, when the police caught him.**

Everyone glared at the screen.

"Well, can't say that the poor guy did not deserve it." Quentin said and no one disagreed.

**Anatoly explained that Bratva was trying to bring justice. Oliver was confused by how recruiting that man was justice, while Anatoly reminded that he was not recruited and died as Oliver argued what if he was not the one to ring the bell as Anatoly said that they would bring justice anyway.**

"It's more like Russian roulette than justice." Laurel said, all of them disturbed by Bratva's ruthlessness.

**Oliver was unconvinced by Anatoly trying to persuade him to trust Bratva's methods as Anatoly explained that not everything was what it seemed and that Oliver needed Bratva to take down Kovar and that he had come too far to give up.**

"He's not wrong." Diggle pointed out, all of them wondering how would Bratva help Oliver stop Kovar.

**Oliver returned with Anatoly into the lair of Bratva as Anatoly explained to Oliver the meaning of the brotherhood in Bratva and their reliance on each other as he stopped at a table, where was a wooden box that Anatoly opened to reveal six ceremonial knives. Oliver questioned that most of the men in the room with them just tried to kill Oliver as Anatoly argued that Oliver needed to trust that they would not kill him and then he asked Oliver if he did trust them and Oliver said that he did. Anatoly ordered Oliver to take off his jacket and turn around. Oliver complied as Viktor and other Bratva men picked each knife, each of them cutting Oliver in vertical direction where his left scapula was as Oliver grinned.**

Laurel, Thea, Moira, Felicity and Tommy hissed and groaned, while Diggle, Quentin and Roy watched with intrigue.

**Later, Oliver was outside with Anatoly as Anatoly explained that Oliver just passed his second test, with both of them in a van and Oliver still questioning Bratva's methods. Oliver wondered what was the third test as Anatoly handed him a file, with a profile of a man, who could bring him closer to Kovar, explaining that he was going to be imprisoned. Oliver wondered how could he make the man talk, with Anatoly saying that all that mattered, was trust.**

"In other words, " _You're on your own, Oliver, again._ "" Tommy drawled and Laurel, Felicity, Roy and Thea snickered, while Quentin, Diggle and Moira shook their heads.

**Anatoly opened his bottle and poured some of the liquor on Oliver.**

"What?" Thea asked, confused.

"Oh." Everyone else then realized what was Oliver supposed to do.

"Well, this part should be easy as pie, considering his past experiences." Moira said as everyone snickered.

"I wonder what is he gonna do. Good old times." Tommy said, amused.

**Oliver was confused what did Anatoly do before realizing what did Anatoly want him to do. Oliver went out, annoyed and banged on some cars parked in the row, trying to act like a drunk, not that it was hard as Oliver banged the hood of a police car and kicked the protective glass of the light as the officers apprehended him.**

Despite the circumstances, everyone burst out laughing, remembering Oliver's shenanigans from before the Gambit.

"Do you guys remember when I stole Dad's Ferrari?" Tommy reminded and Laurel blushed and Thea giggled, while Quentin and Moira shook their heads in amusement.

"Gosh, right now I miss those times, when you were all dumb kids." Quentin said, smiling.

**Oliver was accompanied into the cell by the officers as Oliver looked at the prisoners before he found the one he had been looking for. Oliver sat across his target, asking if the man spoke English, which he did as Oliver explained he was trying to "enjoy" what Russia had to offer as the man nodded, smelling the booze from Oliver.**

"If only…" Moira said sadly.

**Oliver said that the man was in the cell with him before the man explained that he was going to be bailed out by his boss soon enough as Oliver nodded, noting that he knew about Kovar, much to the man's surprise and also that the man was Pyotr Friedkin, Kovar's money launderer as Friedkin straightened up and paled, realizing that Oliver was Bratva as Oliver got up, punching Friedkin as the latter coughed out. The guard wondered what was going on as Oliver covered it up as Friedkin having allergies. Oliver sat next to Friedkin, wanting him to tell Oliver everything he wanted to know. Pyotr was unintimidated, pointing out that Oliver would not dare to kill him in prison, threatening his family instead as Friedkin buried his head into his hands, horrified.**

"Is he really…" Tommy trailed off, all of them stunned by Oliver threatening an innocent family, well, Quentin and Moira were more like outraged, while Diggle and Laurel were shocked.

"Oliver…" Moira trailed off.

"He's just applying pressure to make him crack. Do you think he'd really threaten an innocent family?" Sara said as everyone relaxed, remembering Hong Kong.

**Friedkin explained that he only met Kovar remotely, using a digital dead drop on dark web, telling Oliver the IP address, as Oliver warned Pyotr _not_  to lie or be wrong. Friedkin wondered how did someone like Oliver become "the Devil of Bratva" as Oliver said that it did not matter.**

"It does matter…" Laurel said, all of them feeling sad for Oliver again.

"Well, he wasn't a saint but I don't think he deserved that." Quentin said and everyone nodded, wondering again what did Oliver get himself into this time.

"Why didn't you just go home?" Moira again wondered.

**Oliver grabbed Friedkin by his neck and snapped it, dropping the corpse as a guard approached the cell, demanding to know what happened. Oliver sat down, acting casually and lying that Friedkin fell down, obviously being drunk as the guards took the corpse out of the cell.**

"No one would dare to sell Oliver out." Quentin said, all of them disturbed by how dangerous Oliver was becoming.

**Later in the morning, Oliver returned to the van, telling Anatoly what he had learnt, also wondering why he had to kill a man, who was seemingly harmless and apparently did not deserve to die. Anatoly said that in Bratva, there was no death without purpose and that Friedkin would have warned Kovar, had he lived and reminding that Oliver killed Friedkin because Oliver trusted Bratva, which was needed if he wanted to get to Kovar and saying that Oliver was Bratva now.**

"Why did it have to happen like this…" Thea wondered, all of them worried how many bad things Oliver would hate himself for later, would have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] The only two recruits that were fine, IMO, in Season 5, were Rene and Rory. Rene sure is a hothead but he means well and he is a reasonable guy most of the time too and Rory wasn't all that bad. Curtis however turned out to be an arrogant, useless moron, since he was judgmental towards Oliver and was able to beat street thugs at best and got his ass kicked by the Femme Fatales, China White, Liza Warner and Carrie Cutter – Cupid, and what the hell was Felicity thinking by suggesting to recruit Evelyn, considering how annoying and unstable that little brat was and the mess she made in 4x19? Evelyn was nothing but a spit into Laurel's face and Dinah was more or less fine in Season 5, despite that it was an attempt to appease fans regarding the absence of the Black Canary but she turned out to be annoying on Season 6, after the revelation of Vince being the Vigilante and Dinah almost killing Earth-2 Laurel, with Thea and Quentin getting caught in the crossfire and how she treated Earth-2 Laurel later in 7x16, causing for her to relapse and become Black Siren again, suspecting Laurel of killing Hernandez, when Emiko set her up, while also pretending again what a saint Vince was.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	21. The demons of Russia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see Oliver's confrontation with Kovar, betrayal of Gregor and training with Talia and his struggle with his inner darkness and his first steps of becoming the Hood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**Anatoly accompanied Oliver into a bar, where Viktor and another Bratva captain were sitting at the chairs, with Anatoly joining them and Oliver sitting across them as Viktor asked Oliver what did Bratva mean to him as Oliver replied that to him it meant "brotherhood". Anatoly explained that brotherhood meant family and asking Oliver, who was his family. Oliver replied that his father was dead and Anatoly explained that to Oliver, Moira and Thea were dead too and only Bratva was his family as Oliver made a vow. " _I have no family. I have no home. I have no name. Ya Bratva._ " Anatoly got up and hugged Oliver, welcoming him into Bratva.**

Everyone stared in disbelief at Oliver renouncing everything important to him.

"Now you see why he had been so distant towards you. Something like that, you can't just turn on and turn off with a switch." Sara explained, as everyone felt sad for Oliver again, considering how many sacrifices have they seen him make.

**Later, Oliver toasted with Anatoly to surviving _Amazo_  and drank, although neither of them liked the taste of their beverage. Viktor then approached Oliver, saying that while Oliver may have passed all the tests, Viktor was reluctant to believe that Oliver was one of them and that other members became Bratva because Kovar and his government stole everything from them and Bratva was supposed to bring justice as Oliver replied that he wanted to bring justice too but Viktor was indifferent to Oliver's answers, saying that Oliver would never be one of them.**

"Tell me this guy isn't as bad as Conklin." Tommy groaned.

"Close enough but he'll come around. For a time." Sara said as everyone relaxed, although when Sara said that it wasn't going to be for long, they had to wonder what was going to happen between Oliver and Viktor later.

**Anatoly approached them before the confrontation between Oliver and Viktor would escalate as Viktor reluctantly greeted Oliver among Bratva and patted him on his shoulder.**

"Eat that, jackass." Roy said as everyone snickered in amusement.

**Anatoly wondered what exactly happened but Oliver told Anatoly not to worry before they both drank.**

"I never imagined Oliver would become a criminal. At least not  _that_  kind of criminal." Moira admitted as everyone nodded.

Few months ago, if Quentin had known, he would arrest Oliver in a heartbeat but watching this, it all made him feel sad for Oliver.

**As they kept on drinking, Anatoly wondered why did Oliver act like he was responsible for everyone and everything, despite being a brother to Bratva.**

"It's just who he is." Laurel said, all of them again feeling sad for Oliver again.

"No matter what, he always finds a way to blame himself for whatever goes wrong to those he cares about, even if he's not responsible." Sara explained.

**Oliver explained that he was thinking about the reason he came to Russia as Anatoly drunkenly explained that the bar they were in, was the best one in town before correcting himself that it was _the only_  bar.**

Everyone snickered.

**Oliver chuckled, correcting Anatoly that he was wondering why he came to Russia after Lian Yu. Anatoly remembered the promise Oliver had made to Taiana and advised him to move on. Oliver told Anatoly that she had a family that Oliver needed to find and Anatoly realized what was going on.**

"It wasn't exactly like that…" Quentin said as everyone snickered at Anatoly misreading Oliver's message.

**Anatoly then told Oliver that " _There's no problem a beautiful woman cannot fix._ "**

"Really? He thinks Ollie needs  _that_?" Laurel snorted, half-amused and half-hurt as everyone shook their heads in amusement.

**Anatoly left, looking around for a woman before Oliver saw next to him one of the customers arguing with one of the women and dragging her out. One of the Bratva asked where Oliver was heading but Oliver brushed him off.**

"Oh, man…" Tommy muttered, all of them realizing that Oliver was about to get himself into trouble again.

"Always have to be the hero, do you?" Laurel sighed.

"Yeah." Sara nodded.

"This is not gonna end well." Quentin said and no one disagreed with him.

**Oliver went out into the alley, facing the woman before the two Bratva men approached him from behind, saying that Viktor wanted to give Oliver "a proper gift".**

"Oh, come on, not again!" Thea groaned.

"Honestly, I'm not even surprised." Quentin said, all of them remembering how Conklin tricked Vlad into attacking Oliver.

"Don't worry, this is not going to end badly." Sara assured them as they all relaxed.

**Oliver realized what was going on as the woman left before one of the men punched him in the face and Oliver staggered towards a wall. The two men proceeded to beat Oliver up.**

Everyone groaned, with most of them remembering how many times did Oliver get himself into this kind of trouble before the Gambit.

**Another one of the Bratva suddenly approached them, telling the thugs to back off. They attacked him but the man dodged as one of the thugs tried to stab him with a knife, causing for him to stab his colleague into his chest. The man hit the thug with the knife with his elbow, while shoving the other thug down and then stabbing him in the chest too as they fell down, dead. The man then knelt towards Oliver, telling him to tell Oliver's boss to pay the half of his fee within an hour.**

"What?" Thea asked, confused.

"Someone paid him to look after Oliver?" Roy realized.

"Anatoly. I think you know this guy too, Dig." Sara said, much to everyone's confusion. "You'll see in a moment."

**Oliver narrowed his eyes in confusion as the man got up, walking away before reaching for his chin, revealing his face to be a mask and revealing a middle-aged man with short beard and short hair.**

"Oh." Diggle said. "Chance."

"Wait, you know this guy?" Felicity asked as they all turned to him.

"Most of us call him " _The Human Target_ "." Diggle explained. "He's an asset military and intelligence agencies use. When someone is a target of an assassination, we call him. He assumes their identities and poses as them until the hitmen make a move. He also learns everything he can about who he poses as."

Sara nodded. "There was one thug, who figured out, who Ollie was and ordered a hit on him, so you called Chance to bait the hitmen and Ollie then took them down later. He also gave Ollie a good life advice."

"Seems like a nice guy." Roy said, all of them impressed that someone like Chance would sacrifice himself like that as a day job.

**Sometimes later, in the bar, Oliver and Anatoly were putting together a bomb, with Oliver muttering that he had failed chemistry in high school, twice.**

Those that had known Oliver, snickered again.

"Yeah, he barely passed history and literature, if I remember and he even got D for algebra." Tommy remembered.

"Didn't you flunk from those the first time around?" Laurel reminded and Tommy was silent as everyone, once again, snickered at Tommy's expense this time as he glowered and Laurel chuckled.

**Oliver wondered what was he doing at the moment and what was the point of making a bomb as Anatoly explained that Oliver needed to learn many things, much to Oliver's annoyance.**

"Yeah, I think we all know by now that patience has never been his strong suit." Quentin said and everyone nodded.

**Oliver followed Anatoly's instructions on how to make the bomb but he accidentally triggered it, much to his and everyone else's horror as Anatoly quickly threw it into a nearby trash bin and he and Oliver scooted away and everyone gasped in horror as it smoked from the bin as a small explosion went off.**

"Now I remembered what happened, when we were doing a science project back in high school." Laurel said as she, Tommy, Moira, Quentin and Thea snickered again.

"If he managed to screw this up, how did he manage to make explosive arrows?" Felicity wondered.

"My guess, A.R.G.U.S. tech or a lot of pass/fail." Diggle said and Felicity nodded.

**Anatoly laughed in amusement, assuring Oliver that Anatoly messed it up the first time too and he almost lost his finger.**

"First time for everything." Roy shrugged.

**They heard tires skid and everyone took cover as Oliver tackled Anatoly down, while gunshots rang out and windows and bottles at the bar shattered.**

"What the hell?" Thea demanded.

"Kovar." Sara explained as everyone glared at the screen, realizing what was it about.

"And Anatoly didn't think to mention that Kovar was after them?" Quentin demanded angrily.

"In his defense, Anatoly did not expect him to do something so extreme." Sara explained, although none of them were any less angry about it.

**Oliver demanded to know what happened and Anatoly explained that Kovar just attacked them. Later, the customers and bartenders left as Anatoly was cleaning up and Oliver demanded to know why Anatoly did not tell Oliver that Kovar was targeting them as Anatoly reminded that Kovar had an army, making it obvious who his enemies were. Oliver wanted to know how was joining Bratva going to help him get to Kovar as Anatoly explained that now Oliver had a chance as the Pakhan would explain everything when he arrived and Oliver needed to clean himself up and show some respect.**

" _Pakhan_?" Tommy repeated, confused.

"Basically the head of the Bratva. The godfather." Quentin explained as Tommy nodded.

**A moment later, an elderly man with short beard and grey hair in grey suit entered, accompanied by his bodyguards, greeting Anatoly as they hugged and kissed each other on their cheeks before taking a drink.**

Sara glared at Gregor as everyone noticed the look in her eyes.

"Let me guess, another jackass." Laurel said.

"You have no idea." Sara said. "Gregor was the leading Pakhan of Bratva back then but he was a corrupt son of a bitch. You'll see later."

They noticed how much did Sara hate Gregor, making them realize he was going to be a lot of trouble.

**Speaking in Russian, Gregor turned to Oliver, referring to him as Anatoly's "American puppy".**

" _A puppy_?" Tommy repeated, all of them glaring at Gregor.

"Just the first twenty seconds and I already hate this guy." Moira said.

"I can already tell he's bad news for Oliver." Quentin said.

**Gregor acknowledged he knew who Oliver was, remarking that Oliver was an outsider, while Oliver protested that he had earned his place in Bratva.**

"Years ago, he didn't have to fight for a lot. Now… now he would try so hard to earn what he wanted." Laurel noted, all of them realizing how much did Oliver mature and ashamed again of their initial treatment towards him.

**Oliver was annoyed, demanding to know what was going on as Anatoly attempted to calm him down. Gregor assured Anatoly, appreciating Oliver's eagerness, explaining that Kovar wanted to build a casino and expand his territory and that the attack was a warning shot for Bratva to stay away. Gregor instructed Oliver to use his connections as a rich American to infiltrate Kovar's casino, since Kovar needed investors and blow up his casino. Gregor asked if Oliver would play a rich American playboy again as Oliver considered.**

"Is he out of his mind?" Moira demanded, not wanting to become a target of a powerful Russian crime lord.

**Later, Oliver entered Kovar's casino, in a suit, accompanied by Kovar's men.**

Moira smiled, wondering if Oliver could be a good businessman in Queen Consolidated.

**The man told Oliver that the casino could be a useful investment as Oliver replied that he would like to play craps if the casino would open and also suggesting to add more girls as the man assured him that all would be provided.**

"Oh, no. Gambling? That's one thing I never approved of back in the days." Moira said, glad that neither she or Robert ever let Oliver do that.

Felicity shivered, getting uncomfortable flashbacks from when she infiltrated Alonzo's casino, when trying to find Walter.

**Oliver requested to see the blueprints as the man showed them on the table, also requesting his payment as Oliver's associate put on the table a briefcase with some cash as the man smiled, also wondering why didn't Oliver return home.**

Everyone sighed, knowing the answer already and again feeling sad for Oliver.

**Suddenly, Oliver slammed him to the table and knocked him out. Oliver picked the cash, revealing it to be counterfeit and under it were plastic explosives that Oliver ordered to set up as the associate said that Oliver played a douche quite well.**

Those, who had known Oliver before the Gambit, burst out laughing.

"I should've known he was acting, when he came back and seemingly returned to his shenanigans." Laurel said.

"Yeah. Me too." Tommy nodded.

"Huh. Maybe Bruce Wayne also was just acting and he's Batman actually." Quentin wondered and Sara chuckled and bit her lip, deciding  _not_  to say anything.

**Oliver and his colleague set up charges until one of the thugs snuck up on Oliver from behind and hit him in the head with his gun, knocking him out.**

"Frak." Felicity said, all of them realizing Oliver just got himself into trouble.

"Not again." Tommy said as everyone groaned.

**When Oliver woke up, one of the thugs smacked him on his face and Oliver groaned as he woke up, tied to a chair and facing a tall muscular man with short blonde hair, wearing a suit with a bow tie, who was pouring himself a drink.**

"That's him?" Quentin asked and Sara nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Konstantin Kovar. One of the last bastards Ollie is going to have to deal with before going home." Sara said, all of them wondering how dangerous he was going to be.

"Hmmm. Ollie vs. Ivan Drago. That can end only so well…" Tommy muttered.  **[1]**

**Kovar told Oliver about a story Kovar's mother had told him about her grandfather that in their village they had grown a turnip so large they were unable to pull it by themselves and that even the whole family later tried to help but none of them were able to pull it out as Kovar drank his drink. Kovar then put down his jacket, continuing to explain that every single inhabitant in the village had to help with the turnip before they pulled it out together as he sat across Oliver. Oliver wondered where was Kovar going with it as Kovar explained that unity was needed to success in life and that scum would never amount to anything without help.**

"He's not wrong…" Roy muttered.

**Kovar then taunted Oliver that Bratva were the family that would never pull out the turnip. Kovar then got behind Oliver and snapped his colleague's neck.**

"Now I know why Taiana hated this guy." Diggle said as everyone nodded.

**Oliver paled as Kovar neared him, recognizing him and introducing himself as he took a sip from his drink, saying that he had been looking forward to meeting Oliver.**

"Great." Laurel grumbled, all of them realizing Oliver was about to get himself into trouble again.

**Later, Oliver had a black bag put on his head as they dragged him somewhere else before they forced Oliver to sit down and Oliver saw that he was in a dining room as Kovar's men cut the zip-cuffs on his hands, with Oliver sitting across Kovar at the dining table. Oliver reached for the knife at the table as Kovar's men aimed their guns at him, while Oliver realized he needed to be careful as Kovar warned him _not_  to do anything reckless.**

"Please, tell me you're not that stupid." Diggle said as everyone nodded.

**Oliver groaned in pain as Kovar admitted that Oliver fascinated him, while Kovar ate his stake, summing up Oliver's life. Kovar demanded answers from Oliver, wanting to know why was Oliver targeting him, impressed that even after a week of torture, Oliver did not break.**

"This was nothing." Diggle said, all of them remembering what Fyers, Slade, Ivo and Reiter had done to Oliver already.

**Kovar pointed out that Oliver was screaming for avenging someone named "Taiana", wondering who it was before a maid with a bowl of flowers entered as Kovar greeted her, calling her Galina.**

"Taiana's and Vlad's mother." Sara explained.

"Oh." Quentin said, all of them realizing how hard this was going to be for Oliver.

**Oliver stared at Galina as Kovar casually flirted with her and kissed her on her cheek before Galina left as Kovar realized who this "Taiana" was as he sniffed the flowers, before returning to his seat, pouring himself a glass of wine and explaining how he had met Galina, explaining that he employed her after she had lost her children. Oliver replied that he believed Taiana, since she said that Kovar was a monster as Kovar said that "monster" was a matter of perspective as one of Kovar's men showed Oliver a file, on which was Pyotr Friedkin, the man that Oliver killed in prison to earn his place in Bratva. Kovar then explained that Bratva used Oliver to kill Friedkin to steal his business and that he was nothing but their tool and that things were not as black and white as Oliver had believed them to be, the truth being only a matter of perspective.**

"Well, I hate to say it but he has a point. Anatoly wouldn't use Oliver but I can't say I trust the rest of the Bratva." Quentin pointed out as everyone nodded.

"That doesn't mean he's the good guy in this." Diggle added and everyone nodded again.

**Oliver picked a knife, about to stab Kovar, when the guards pulled out their guns, with Oliver wanting Kovar to get him out of his estate.**

"Come on, there's no way he can get out." Felicity groaned.

"Haven't you forgotten? He tends to get suicidal, when desperate." Tommy reminded.

**Oliver warned Kovar, saying " _Twitch and I'll open your throat._ "**

Everyone burst out laughing.

"This would sound more intimidating if he had used an Australian accent and deeper voice." Moira teased.

Tommy cleared his throat, trying to make his voice deeper and imitating Slade's accent which was quite convincing. " _Twitch and I'll open your throat._ "

Everyone snickered again.

"Much better." Sara said, giggling.

**Kovar was seemingly terrified as Oliver ordered Kovar to tell his men to stand down. Kovar did as Oliver said as Oliver picked their guns, aiming them both at Kovar and his men as they walked down the corridor as Kovar taunted him that Oliver was getting himself in over his head before Kovar's men surrounded Oliver and Kovar explained that Bratva would not be happy with Oliver's actions since Bratva would not take any action against Kovar in exchange for a cut of profit from Kovar's casino, not that Oliver believed him.**

"He's lying." Felicity said immediately.

"Actually, he wasn't. There was one of the Bratva, who had made a deal with Kovar." Sara said.

"Viktor?" Roy tried and Sara shook her head.

"Guess again." Sara said.

"Gregor." Quentin deduced and everyone had hateful thoughts about the Bratva Pakhan.

"Now I know why you hated him." Laurel said and Sara nodded.

**Kovar pointed out what was more likely: That Bratva would let an American into their brotherhood or that Oliver was just a valuable asset at the time. Oliver was caught off-guard, as Kovar used the opening to take Oliver's gun and taunting Oliver that he was too stupid to know the difference as his men grabbed Oliver. Kovar said that he had killed people for less than what Oliver just did as Oliver taunted him to do so, otherwise Kovar would be too weak.**

**Kovar punched Oliver as Oliver fell down in pain. Kovar ordered his men to leave as Oliver got up. Kovar ruthlessly beat Oliver, who was too weak to fight back. Oliver staggered back against the wall and tried to rush at Kovar but Kovar hit Oliver twice in the chest and grabbed him in chokehold and threw him down. Oliver got up, barely able to block Kovar's blows as Kovar dodged Oliver's attacks and knocked him down before Gregor entered, stopping Kovar from continuing to beat Oliver.**

"Damn it." Thea said, all of them realizing it was about to become worse for Oliver.

"He will wish he had let Kovar kill him." Sara said, all of them looking forward for Oliver to turn the tides in his favor.

**Gregor said that Kovar beating Oliver would cost him his cut as Oliver realized he had been fooled. Later, Gregor had Oliver elsewhere in a basement, displeased that Oliver had interfered in his operations and growling that Oliver did not actually care about Bratva, that they were just means for Oliver to get to Kovar. Gregor forced Oliver to sit on a chair as Oliver taunted Gregor that he had betrayed Bratva by allying himself with a government strongman as Gregor argued that Oliver's vendetta was betraying Bratva and that Gregor's alliance with Kovar was actually benefiting it and that because Gregor was the Pakhan, his decisions were the law, deciding to beat some obedience into Oliver. Gregor then taunted Oliver by picking up the photo of Laurel, showing it in front of him.**

Everyone, Laurel especially, again felt touched that Oliver had been holding onto the memory of her throughout the five years.

**Gregor wondered why didn't Oliver return home after he got off Lian Yu as he took off his jacket and instead came to Russia to avenge someone he barely knew. Oliver explained to Gregor that he had been through too much and become a completely different person to return home as Gregor realized that Oliver was afraid that he had become a monster.**

"That's not true." Laurel said, most of them, especially her, Quentin, Tommy, Moira, Thea and Felicity ashamed of judging Oliver's alter-ego.

**Oliver wondered how much did Kovar pay Gregor to betray Bratva. Gregor responded by punching Oliver in the face as he fell down from the chair. Gregor's thugs then beat Oliver.**

Everyone was worried again about Oliver, wondering how was he going to make it out.

**They put Oliver back up as Gregor taunted Oliver how little he knew, making Oliver wonder if Gregor was actually playing Kovar.**

"Bullshit." Roy said, all of them glaring at Gregor.

"He's crooked to the bone, only an idiot wouldn't see that." Quentin said as everyone nodded.

**Oliver said he did not believe Gregor as Gregor said that Oliver did not understand circumstances were what change people, taunting that Oliver was responsible for his own inner darkness, which was what was driving Oliver to kill Kovar and that all Oliver was doing, was blaming himself.**

"He's not wrong." Sara said, all of them realizing how much did Oliver blame himself for the pain of others, despite that he was not responsible, once again making those, who had known Oliver, ashamed of how they had been treating him since he returned from Lian Yu.

**Gregor offered Oliver a better life by joining him in exchange for Oliver's obedience.**

"Like hell." Moira said as everyone glared at Gregor.

**Oliver taunted Gregor, wondering what would Gregor do as Gregor's henchman handed him a gun as Gregor aimed it at Oliver's head, warning that he would kill Oliver if Oliver did not join him.**

The viewers' glare intensified and the phrase ' _if looks could kill_ ' came to mind.

**Suddenly, gunshots rang out outside as they heard arrows flying and bodies drop.**

"What the hell? Is this another hallucination?" Felicity wondered.

"No. You'll see in a moment." Sara said as they noticed the edgy tone in her voice, making them wonder what was going to happen next.

**Gregor's men went out to see what happened as more gunshots rang out and arrows were fired, with them falling down, dead. Gregor picked Oliver up, holding him at gunpoint as he neared the stairs before his hand was suddenly pinned to a wall by a black arrow, causing for him to drop his gun. Oliver turned his head upstairs as he saw Laurel in black leather suit and a hood, in her hand a bow and to her back strapped a quiver full of arrows.**

"What?" Laurel asked, all of them confused.

**Oliver narrowed his eyes until his vision cleared and saw a young woman, speaking with an unusual Eastern accent, introducing herself as Talia, explaining that she had been looking for him.**

"Oh, you have gotta be freaking kidding me." Felicity groaned as everyone stared in disbelief, realizing who it was.

"Ra's al Ghul's daughter? What the hell does she want with Oliver?" Diggle demanded, all of them worried about Oliver.

"My guess, nothing good." Thea said.

"Well, that depends on your perspective. But she wanted to… help him. In a way." Sara said, all of them wondering how much trouble she was going to bring to Oliver.

**Oliver passed out and when he came to, he seemed to be in a motel room as he got up, wondering what was going on as Talia explained that things in Bratva had become complicated. Oliver asked why did Talia save him as Talia said dryly that Oliver needed help. Oliver got up and saw on the table photos of Oliver taken from across the world and a map of Lian Yu, realizing she had been following him and studying him.**

"She was spying on him?" Thea realized.

"Studying him." Sara corrected. "That's how Chase learned everything he could about Oliver later. Talia had told him most of Oliver's past, when Oliver killed Ra's but Chase spent two years obsessively following and studying everything he could about Oliver and after Talia lost it, she helped him learn more about Ollie's past."

Everyone then glared at Talia, wanting to make her pay.

**She then summed up what had happened to Oliver, using the evidence she had collected as she taunted Oliver for not returning back home because of his inner darkness. Oliver grabbed Talia's wrist, demanding to know how did she know it all as Talia said she simply did her homework.**

"Wow. I wasn't able to find anything about the Hood at all." Quentin said, impressed by Talia.

"All it takes is experience, patience, stubbornness and large amount of willpower and you can do anything." Sara summed up. "Slade's hatred fueled by Mirakuru helped him survive long enough to get revenge on Ollie. Ollie's need to come home and survive was what helped him get home to Starling City. Chase's psychopathy and obsession with Ollie was how he learned everything about him."

**Oliver wanted to know why was Talia interested in Oliver as she slammed Oliver to the table and grabbed him by his wrist, explaining that Yao Fei was her student and Oliver was wearing his hood as Oliver stared in disbelief.**

"Ouch." Tommy winced, remembering what Helena did to him.

"Why is it, that sooner or later, he always pisses off the wrong woman?" Felicity wondered as everyone snickered.

"I've asked myself that many times." Sara shrugged.

**Talia let Oliver go as he got up, wondering how was it possible that she had trained Yao Fei, considering her apparent age as Talia mocked Oliver for asking a woman about her age.**

Everyone snickered again.

**Talia then revealed cryptically to Oliver that her young appearance was a family secret.**

"The Lazarus pit?" Laurel deduced and Sara nodded.

**Oliver explained to Talia that Yao Fei was dead as Talia said that the world needed people like Oliver and that because of what he had been through, he was destined for much more than being a Russian gangster.**

"She does have a point." Quentin admitted reluctantly.

**Oliver protested that he had a promise to keep to kill Kovar. Talia showed him a folder that Oliver opened, revealing a profile of Misha Yurievich, a black market smuggler, whose expertise was human trafficking with young girls and that Kovar was his client, explaining that eliminating him would make Kovar lose his income of money.**

"Why would that psycho bitch help him?" Thea wondered.

"Back then, she cared about her students and knew people with great potential. But when Ollie was forced to kill Ra's, she lost it and allied herself with Chase, training him. She was obsessively loyal towards Ra's and despite that he never would have let her or Nyssa or any other woman become his successor, she still loved him." Sara said.  **[2]**

"Nyssa?" Laurel repeated.

"Ra's younger daughter and Talia's half-sister. She's… someone I used to know. A good friend." Sara said fondly, making them realize how close they were, although they didn't know that Sara was a bisexual and she decided to  _not_  shock them more.

**Oliver was surprised that Talia would help Oliver as she wanted only for him to hear her out as Oliver gave in, when she pointed out that he would cripple Kovar's operation by letting her help.**

"I know she doesn't give the vibes here yet but she's… creeping me out." Felicity said.

"You're not the only one with that feeling." Tommy said as everyone nodded.

**Oliver and Talia went out on the street, hiding behind barrels as Talia was about to engage Yurievich's men. Oliver stopped her, pointing out that she had a bow and they had guns.**

"Excuse me, have you forgotten yourself, Yao Fei and Shado?" Tommy asked jokingly as everyone snickered.

"Yeah, Ollie underestimated Talia back then, although I don't blame him." Sara nodded, giggling.

**Talia said that bow and arrow required patience and discipline as she went out and shot down the thugs as she and Talia switched cover before spotting Yurievich. Talia shot down more thugs as Yurievich hid in his limo. Oliver snuck up on one of the thugs and whacked him in the head with his gun before using him as a human shield as other thugs opened fire at him before Oliver shot them. One thug rushed at Oliver but Oliver dodged as the thug attacked him and threw him down before shooting him and then he proceeded to take out more of his henchmen before entering Yurievich's limo as Yurievich begged for life, with Oliver aiming his gun at him. Oliver glared before he used his gun to repeatedly beat Yurievich as Talia smirked, observing.**

"My God…" Moira whispered, all of them stunned by how much was Oliver letting his inner darkness consume him.

"And that bitch is enjoying it." Laurel sneered as they glared at Talia.

**Oliver went out with blood spattered on his face and panting out, saying that he had beaten Yurievich to death as Talia nodded. They returned to the hotel as Oliver cleaned up his face, realizing that Talia had baited Oliver into giving into his darkness and beating Yurievich.**

"That sick bitch." Roy growled and everyone nodded.

"This was nothing." Sara said. "Chase tortured Ollie for a week, trying to convince him that he enjoyed killing, which Ollie did believe, for a little while before we talked some sense into him. He even rigged whole Lian Yu with bombs and linked them to a dead man's switch and kidnapped everyone Ollie cared about, who was alive at that point, William and Samantha included and tried to bait Ollie into killing him and blowing everyone up in the process."

Everyone widened their eyes, realizing how insane Chase was.

"No wonder those two joined up trying to destroy Oliver." Diggle muttered.

**Talia nodded, saying that she wanted to remind Oliver of his inner darkness as Oliver wondered why did she care. Talia showed Oliver Robert's notebook, pointing out that the real fight Oliver was looking for, had been in front of him the whole time as he kept on looking for new fights, like with Reiter or Kovar, asking why didn't Oliver go home, when he had seen Robert's message as Oliver explained that what he just did to Yurievich, was the very reason and that he was not the man Robert had believed him to be.**

Everyone again felt sad for Oliver again, hoping to prove him wrong somehow.

**Talia pointed out that Oliver was afraid of what he had become, running from himself, explaining she had been there too, offering to help him, saying that Oliver believed he was a monster, to which Oliver said that he was a monster.**

"That's not true." Quentin said, of all people, much to the viewers' surprise. "True, I did think that too at first. But all he's doing, is trying to make this city a better place. Like I do. Only he's doing what I can't do. I wish I had seen that earlier."

"Yeah." Everyone else nodded as Tommy, Laurel, Moira and Felicity again felt ashamed of condemning the Hood's actions.

**Talia put a crate on the table, saying that Oliver had a monster inside him but it was not him, much to Oliver's confusion as she explained that Oliver needed to create one and give it an identity, showing Yao Fei's hood to him and that Oliver needed to become someone else, _something_ else, to freely be Oliver Queen.**

**Oliver put on the hood and leather suit and quiver as he looked like the vigilante of Starling City in the present.**

"Cool." Tommy said, all of them impressed by Oliver's look, despite knowing what he was really doing in the outfit.

**Talia offered Oliver to become ready as she handed him a recurve bow, just as the one he was using in the present.**

"That's how he got that bow." Diggle realized.

**Later, Oliver and Talia went outside, with their hoods on, watching some drug dealers from above as Talia explained that she was training him. Oliver jumped down onto the plated ceiling, shooting down one of the dealers as he fell down the stairs before shooting down another thug. The remaining two thugs rushed at Oliver from behind but Oliver punched one in the hip and hit another one with his bow in the chest. Another thug rushed at Oliver from behind but Oliver hit him in the leg with his bow, causing for the thug to fall down. Oliver kicked the thug in front of him as he fell down. Oliver approached the last thug and punched him three times before slamming him to the ceiling and knocking him out. Oliver went out as Talia jumped down and fired an arrow at Oliver, who turned around and caught it inches away from his face.**

"Is that bitch crazy? What if he didn't catch it?" Thea demanded.

"I doubt she'd care." Felicity muttered as Sara nodded.

**Talia smiled at Oliver, saying that him embracing his darkness would make him be more mindful of his surroundings.**

**They returned to Talia's apartment as she showed him another folder with a name "Hideo Yamane".**

Quentin narrowed his eyes, the name sounded familiar.

**Oliver recognized the name from the list as Talia explained that Yamane was responsible for majority of the drug trade in Starling City, showing a photo of a packet with familiar green and blue pills.**

"Vertigo. He was one of the main suppliers." Quentin remembered. "Although, the DEA said he had died under mysterious circumstances few months ago."

"Something tells me I know what happened to him." Diggle said as everyone nodded and Thea winced, shifting uncomfortably at the memory of using the drug herself.

**Oliver recognized the drug, getting flashbacks from when Thea bought drugs from Jordon.**

Thea winced and groaned.

"Hey, at least you cleaned up your act." Tommy assured her and Thea relaxed as Roy held her hand.

**Oliver realized that he needed to take out the supplier of Vertigo, since his city was vulnerable and Talia explained that she was helping him correct his mistakes, with Yamane being in Russia and that this was his test.**

"OK, not only she's crazy, she's got a death wish." Tommy said, all of them realizing how unstable Talia was.

"Not as much as Chase." Sara said. "As long as he'd prove that he was right and that everyone Ollie loved would suffer because of his sins, he didn't care if he died. He wanted to prove Ollie was a monster that destroys everything around him, no matter the cost, even if it would be his own life."

**Yamane was in another part of the city, making trade before one of the thugs was shot with an arrow, causing for the rest to shoot into the dark, looking for their target. Oliver shot down most of the thugs as Yamane knelt down in fear, pleading for his life but the Hood was indifferent to it, saying that Yamane had failed Starling City.**

" _Hideo Yamane, you have failed this city._ " Felicity said, trying to put on the Hood's voice as Roy and Thea snickered, Tommy, Diggle and Laurel chuckled and Quentin and Moira shook their heads in amusement.

**The Hood shot three arrows at Yamane's left shoulder in quick succession as he fell down, dead.**

Suddenly, they all tensed at Oliver's increasing brutality, realizing that this was how Oliver was becoming the man they knew he was nowadays.

**Later, Oliver returned to Talia's apartment, crossing Yamane's name off the list as Talia said that Oliver's mission was back home and Oliver said that leaving Bratva would not be easy as Talia reminded that Oliver needed to go back to Starling to right Robert's wrongs as she handed him the list.**

"So, that's why…" Quentin said, all of them realizing the full reason of Oliver's focus on the list.

**Oliver, back in his normal clothes, entered the Bratva's bar, wanting to talk with Anatoly as one of the Bratva asked, where Oliver was. Oliver then entered their infirmary to see Anatoly beaten up on a stretcher, with bruised face and bandaged head.**

"What the hell?" Thea demanded, all of them stunned.

"Kovar and Gregor." Sara said simply as they all glared at the screen again, realizing what happened.

**Oliver sat next to Anatoly, wanting to know what happened as Anatoly explained that Gregor had betrayed them, when Anatoly questioned his deal with Kovar, saying that Gregor was untouchable because he was a Pakhan. Oliver pointed out that they could kill Kovar as he wondered what did Oliver want to tell him but Oliver said that it could wait.**

"I'm guessing Anatoly won't take it well, when he finds out with who Ollie was hanging around with." Tommy said.

"That's an understatement." Sara said as they all became worried about how much worse it was going to get.

**Later, Oliver tried to come up with a plan against Gregor but Anatoly protested that Oliver was getting himself in over his head and Oliver promised he would help Anatoly take out Gregor and protect Bratva, making Anatoly wonder why would Oliver leave. Oliver explained that he needed to get back to his life and fix the mess his father had made as Anatoly pointed out that Oliver was a sin-eater, consuming sins of dead people, so that they could move on to the afterlife and taking on their sins as his own.**

"Well, he's not wrong." Diggle said as they again thought about Oliver's need to right Robert's wrongs.

**Suddenly, Oliver noticed that one and the same orderly had passed by the room five times with an empty stretcher.**

"Oh, no…" Laurel said, all of them realizing it was about to become worse.

**Anatoly got up from the stretcher and dressed up, leaning onto Oliver as they went out before they saw one of the thugs come out from around the corner, shooting at them as Oliver and Anatoly rushed into a corridor and hid behind the door as the thug followed them. Oliver slammed him to the wall and hit him in the throat as the thug choked out and fell down as they ran downstairs as Oliver shot down another thug following them. Anatoly drawled if Oliver regretted not going home, as Oliver said that he did not regret it yet.**

Everyone chuckled and felt sad again because of Oliver not going home when he had a chance.

**They went into what seemed to be a storage area of the hospital as they took cover behind some crates, as Anatoly realized that their odds were slim.**

"Oliver will find a way." Quentin said optimistically.

**Gregor and his men entered, with Gregor pleading if Anatoly would hand over Oliver, everything would be forgiven.**

"Does he think they're stupid?" Tommy said as they all scoffed.

**Oliver got up, intending to give himself up as Anatoly protested, not wanting to make Oliver for Anatoly's sins.**

Everyone smiled, touched by Anatoly's loyalty towards Oliver.

**Oliver stepped up, surrendering himself as he dropped his gun as Gregor said he would keep his word. Suddenly Oliver disarmed one of Gregor's men, using him as a human shield as another shot at him. Oliver shot at the thug behind before shooting down the remaining thugs as one of the guns slid towards Anatoly. Anatoly tried to pick it up before Gregor stepped on his fingers as Anatoly screamed, with Gregor taunting him that he would die as he aimed his gun at Anatoly's head.**

Everyone glared at Gregor.

"Bastard." Thea said.

**Oliver got behind Gregor, aiming at his head as Gregor said that Oliver corrupted Bratva as more of Bratva men surrounded them. Gregor said that Oliver and Anatoly were traitors, ordering his men to kill them before Anatoly suddenly said " _Spross dopross._ " as Viktor turned to him.**

"What?" Quentin said, not understanding.

**Gregor denied Anatoly's request, intending to kill him before Viktor pointed out that Anatoly was captain and that they needed to follow their own code. Glowering, Gregor lowered his gun as they stood down. Anatoly nodded as the Bratva took him and Oliver.**

"What is it? Some kind of their process?" Laurel asked.

"Something like that." Sara nodded.

**They returned into the bar as Anatoly explained that in "spross dopross", a Pakhan was going to be held accountable for their actions, with the captains listening and deciding, who would take over Pakhan's position.**

"They can overthrow Gregor without a fight." Diggle said hopefully.

"It wasn't that simple." Sara said, much to their disappointment.

**Oliver hoped that this would be good, without less casualties and collateral damage but Anatoly explained that even if the captains would find out about Gregor's deal with Kovar, Anatoly and Oliver were doomed anyway, if they decided that Gregor would keep his position, since they had no proof it benefited Gregor himself more than Bratva.**

"They need a proof." Laurel realized. "And I'm sure if anyone can find it, it's Ollie."

Everyone smiled, hopeful that Oliver would find a way.

**Oliver realized where he could find proof as Anatoly explained that Oliver had one hour and that a captain would need to accompany Oliver but Oliver said that he could easily lose the captain accompanying him.**

Diggle scowled as Moira and Thea smiled in amusement, remembering how did Oliver lose him, when they first met.

**Oliver returned to Kovar's estate, tripping an alarm as he snuck past the guards, jumping down from above, dressed in his hood, carrying bow and arrows in a quiver. Oliver scoured the house before he found a laptop in Kovar's office, containing invoices that piqued his interest.**

"Gotcha." Roy said as everyone smirked.

**Back at the bar, the captains were deciding to vote as most of them were joining Gregor's side until Oliver entered, asking for a moment of time for Viktor to hear him out. Oliver showed him the laptop containing eighty million rubles in transfers from Kovar's accounts to Gregor's accounts. Viktor acknowledged that the money was for the Bratva captains and Oliver explained that in the laptop was also forty million rubles from Kovar that Gregor had not disclosed as Viktor asked Gregor for truth, looking into the laptop to check, dismayed by the truth as half of the captains decided to side with Anatoly. Viktor had a deciding vote as he decided to choose Anatoly as a new Pakhan.**

Everyone relaxed for a moment but considering how crooked Gregor was, they knew that he would not give up so easily.

"Does anyone else think that…"

"I think we all do." Moira finished Roy's thought.

**Gregor seemed disappointed as his allies pulled out their guns as Anatoly and other captains took cover behind the counter.**

Everyone glared at the screen again.

"That son of a bitch has no honor." Diggle said.

**Anatoly went out from his cover with a Kalashnikov, as he and Viktor shot at Gregor's men and Oliver tackled down one of the thugs sneaking up on Viktor and shot him as Viktor thanked him. Oliver, Anatoly and Viktor kept on shooting as Gregor's men retreated as they realized that Gregor had killed Anatoly's allies and that Gregor would promote new ones loyal to him, who would kill them all.**

"Great. Out of the frying pan…" Quentin trailed off.

"…right into the fire. Again." Laurel finished.

**Later, Oliver, Anatoly and Viktor sat down at the bar, contemplating what to do. Oliver suggested convincing the rest of the Bratva somehow that Gregor had sold them out as Anatoly vainly tried to turn on the laptop and Oliver grumbled, since they had no one, who could pull data out of a bullet-ridden laptop.**

Felicity burst out laughing as everyone turned to her, confused.

"What?" Diggle asked before remembering as he snickered. "Oh."

"Someone mind filling us in?" Tommy asked.

Diggle got ahold of himself quickly, while Felicity was trying to stifle her giggles. "Warren Patel had hired an assassin named Floyd Lawton to take out bidders for Unidac Industries, Walter included and when Oliver went after Lawton the first time, he ended up taking Lawton's laptop filled with bullets."

"And he brought it to me and I had to wonder, why was it filled with bullets. It wasn't until later, when I realized that he was testing me and recruiting me." Felicity said, still giggling as everyone chuckled. "Man, if he had me in Russia back then…"

"I'm not sure you would make it a day." Sara said and Felicity was silent.

"You just won't let me have some fun, do you?" Felicity grumbled.

"Just stating a fact." Sara shrugged.

**Anatoly pointed out that Gregor would turn the Bratva against them as Oliver said that they needed to take him out first, asking Viktor and Anatoly, where would Gregor go after what just happened. Viktor explained that a hockey ring was Bratva stronghold but it was heavily guarded as Oliver said that he knew someone, who could get in.**

Everyone narrowed their eyes.

**Later, Oliver was alone in the bar before Anatoly entered, seeing Oliver in his hood, with a bow and quiver, much to Anatoly's confusion as Oliver explained to him what had happened with Talia and that the hood was helping him channel his darkness. Anatoly cursed Oliver for being a fool and that he could not keep his inner darkness apart from himself by wearing a hood, telling Oliver that Talia would become the source of his greatest pain.**

"If he only knew how right he was back then…" Sara said, all of them having murderous thoughts about Talia.

"I hope that bitch died painfully later." Moira said.

"Honestly, I don't know. After Chase died, she ended up in prison. It's complicated but later, Ollie ended up in prison with her and he helped her break out and she helped him get out too and after that, none of us crossed paths with her, ever again." Sara said.

"Wait, she helped Oliver despite what she and Chase had done to him?" Roy demanded.

"She's not completely unstable." Sara shrugged. "Honestly, I'm surprised she was reasonable at moments like that one."  **[3]**

**In the hockey ring, Gregor was gathering his allies before they heard gunshots. One of Gregor's henchmen went into the players' room to see two thugs dead before he was shot down by an arrow. In another corridor, another thug was shot down by an arrow as Anatoly snuck up onto another thug, grabbing him in chokehold and snapping his neck as Oliver approached him, using his deeper voice, much to Anatoly's confusion.**

"Yeah, he does sound scary like that." Laurel said.

"I'm guessing he was practicing again." Tommy teased as everyone snickered again.

**Oliver walked down the corridor as in the stadium, Gregor wondered what was going on before Anatoly and Oliver showed up, shooting at Gregor's men. Some of them tried to run but Oliver shot them down and another thug tackled Oliver but Oliver grabbed his knife and sliced him in the throat.**

Everyone, except for Diggle and Quentin, gasped at seeing how much more brutal Oliver was becoming.

**Oliver ran down the ice, shooting down Gregor's men and hitting Gregor in the shoulder as Gregor fell down. Oliver neared Gregor, who paled, realizing Oliver was going to kill him as Gregor taunted him, saying in Russian, " _If you kill me, you'll only really be killing yourself._ "**

"He has a point." Diggle said. "Taking a life, it changes people. Like I said, it scraps off pieces of their soul until they become someone they don't even recognize anymore."

Everyone was worried about how much was Oliver embracing his darkness.

**Oliver pulled the arrow out and Gregor groaned.**

No one really felt any sympathy for Gregor but were more worried about Oliver.

**Later, Viktor and another henchman dragged Gregor back into the club as Anatoly ordered them to tend to Gregor as Anatoly demanded from Gregor some answers as Oliver picked a knife from the table, slowly pulling the bullet out of Gregor's arm as Gregor screamed in pain, much to Anatoly's shock. Gregor said that Kovar was planning something big and that Anatoly and Oliver would beg for mercy before Kovar was done, saying " _samovolshtina_ " in Russian, also taunting Oliver that everyone he cared about, would suffer, that Oliver was no hero and that everything he touched, would die.**

Everyone sighed, again realizing why was Oliver distancing himself from them.

"To some extent, Gregor and Chase got into Ollie's head. They had convinced him that everyone around him would suffer as price for his sins. That's why he felt he did not deserve to be anywhere near anyone of you. Because those words kept on going on in his mind. " _Everything you touch, dies._ "" Sara said as Quentin felt more guilt for accusing Oliver of being a murderer and responsible for what happened to Sara.

**Gregor gasped out before closing his eyes as he succumbed to his injuries as Viktor entered, satisfied that the traitor was dead and that by seniority, Anatoly was the new Pakhan. Later, in the basement, they held a memorial for Gregor as they also held a ceremony for Anatoly succeeding Gregor, taking Gregor's ring off his hand and naming Anatoly their new Pakhan as they all, Oliver included, cut into their hands and shook them with Anatoly.**

"He set Bratva on a straight path. For a time. But when Ollie left, Anatoly lost his way, becoming just as corrupt as Gregor." Sara said. "That drove a wedge between them for a time."

Everyone wondered what exactly happened between Oliver and Anatoly later.

"How did they make amends?" Diggle wondered.

"Ollie reminded Anatoly that honor was important." Sara explained as they all smiled. Despite his nature, Anatoly was a good man in his core.

**Later, outside, Anatoly groaned, clutching his hand, realizing Viktor had cut into a tendon.**

"Jerk." Thea sneered.

"Oh, he will show his true colors soon enough." Sara said as everyone wondered how would Viktor betray Anatoly and Oliver.

**Oliver wondered what they were going to do with Kovar as Anatoly said that the word Gregor had said, referred to Russian revolution.**

"Kovar wanted to overthrow the Russian government." Sara explained. "And how, is going to shock you."

Everyone wondered what other surprises were there.

**Anatoly explained that he needed to speak with Kovar as Oliver realized he could talk to Galina and that she could help them. Oliver walked down the marketplace before he encountered Galina, who was buying some apples. Galina recognized Oliver after a moment as Oliver explained that he was Taiana's friend and that he needed her help. A moment later, her bodyguard approached her and recognized Oliver.**

"Oh, crap." Thea said.

**Oliver rushed at him and after a brief fight, shot him down, much to Galina's and other people's horror. Oliver assured Galina he would not hurt her and that she could not tell Kovar she had seen Oliver. Galina nodded as Oliver ran away.**

**In Kovar's office in his estate, Kovar was drinking with Malcolm Merlyn, talking business.**

"What the hell?" Diggle demanded as everyone stared at the screen in disbelief.

"What in the blazes is my Dad doing with a crook like Kovar?" Tommy asked, confused.

"You'll see." Sara said.

**Malcolm handed Kovar a file, explaining where Kovar could retrieve his shipment in exchange for the information about Unidac Industries.**

"That bastard!" Moira glared, all of them realizing Kovar had helped Malcolm with his Undertaking.

**Before their conversation could continue, Anatoly entered, making Kovar interrupt their meeting as he and Malcolm shook hands. Malcolm shook his hands with Anatoly, introducing himself as CEO of Merlyn Global Group as Anatoly replied that he was simply a gangster.**

Everyone snickered again.

"Oh, man, neither of them has any idea…" Quentin said, amused.

**Kovar read from the file as he and Anatoly talked business, while Malcolm left. Kovar wondered what happened to Gregor as Anatoly explained that the man, who killed him was " _The Kapiushon_ ", which meant " _The Hood_ " in Russian as Anatoly explained that this Hood was interfering in the business of criminals in Russia.**

"I guess one thing never changes." Laurel noted as everyone snickered again.

**Kovar wondered whether Anatoly had anything to do with Gregor's demise, considering Anatoly's issues with Gregor's and Kovar's business. Anatoly pointed out that he was responsible for Gregor's business as well, now that he took Gregor's place.**

**Kovar talked about Russian revolution as Anatoly took a glance at Kovar's folder on his desk as they took a drink.**

**Later, Anatoly returned to the bar, explaining to Oliver that Kovar was planning to overthrow the Russian government with a coup.**

"What?" Everyone said, shocked, wondering what was going to happen, considering that Malcolm aided Kovar with his plan.

**Anatoly said that Kovar was making business with an American businessman that Anatoly did not know.**

"Damn it. If he had known it was Malcolm, Oliver could have taken him out earlier." Moira groaned.

"I doubt that, considering we know now what he's capable of." Diggle corrected as Moira paled again.

"The first time Ollie beat him, well, it was barely by the skin of his teeth." Sara nodded.

**Anatoly said that Kovar did not have enough men to attempt for a coup, also remembering the file he had seen in Kovar's office, saying that the shipment was in the shipyard. Oliver decided to intercept Kovar's shipment but Anatoly pointed out that he was worried about Oliver, considering what he did to Gregor and that he had to go home. Oliver said that he was not going to abandon Anatoly as they shook hands, saying they were brothers until the end.**

"We know Ollie won't just walk away. Not when he came this far." Laurel said.

**Later, in the shipyard, Oliver, Anatoly and Viktor arrived as Anatoly and Viktor looked at the containment unit and opened it to reveal four tanks of sarin gas as they decided to load it onto the truck, realizing that this amount could kill thousands of people.**

"Oh, my God…" Roy said, all of them remembering what happened in Hong Kong.

**Suddenly, Kovar's men arrived and the Hood shot at some barrels, causing an explosion as one of the vehicles skidded and drove towards a roadblock. Kovar's men shot down some of the Bratva as Kovar shot one of the tanks, causing for it to leak the gas as it sprayed on one of the Bratva's men, who had lesions form on his face and foam form in his mouth as he fell down.**

"No!" Laurel cried out and everyone stared in horror.

**Anatoly ordered everyone to retreat as Oliver took out quickly more of Kovar's men. Kovar knocked Anatoly down as he was taking cover behind a truck, while Oliver was shooting at more of Kovar's men but Kovar managed to hijack the truck and drove away.**

"Damn it." Tommy said as everyone wondered how would Oliver stop Kovar.

**Later, Oliver returned to the bar as Viktor wondered what happened, accusing Oliver of getting Bratva into this mess because of his vendetta against Kovar.**

Everyone winced, realizing Viktor had a point.

**Viktor said that they should give into Kovar's terms and honor Gregor's alliance with them as Oliver argued that Kovar would wipe the entire Bratva out.**

"After what just happened, I wouldn't put it past him." Moira said as everyone nodded.

**Oliver left, intending to interrogate one of Kovar's men. In the basement, the man was stripped of his shirt and tied to the table, with his eyes covered as well and his arms and legs stretched. The man begged for his life as the Hood jammed an arrow into his shoulder, demanding to know where was Kovar. The man screamed in pain, saying he did not know but Oliver did not believe him, twisting the arrow as the man screamed for minutes until he gave in and told Oliver everything.**

Everyone tensed at Oliver's brutality, glad that he did not do something more extreme, like with Shrieve.  **[4]**

**Anatoly went down as the man passed out from the pain, disturbed by how brutal Oliver was as he heard the screams. Oliver explained that the hood had helped him channel his inner darkness as Anatoly pointed out that Oliver was naïve to think that a piece of cloth would separate a man from a monster and that splitting himself into two would make the monster stronger than the human, making Oliver consider if Anatoly was right, looking guilty, just like when he tortured Shrieve as Anatoly said that Oliver was becoming just as bad as Ivo and Slade.**

"That's why he needs others to remind him of who he really is, not this monster he was becoming." Diggle said as everyone nodded.

**Back in the bar, Oliver, Viktor and Anatoly tried to come up with a plan as Oliver suggested talking to Galina again.**

"Yeah, because that worked out so well the first time." Tommy drawled.

"Who knows." Roy shrugged.

"Maybe he'll get lucky this time." Felicity said hopefully.

**On the streets, Oliver snuck onto Galina into an alley, explaining that he knocked out her bodyguard and wanted to talk to her, explaining again that he knew Taiana and Vlad. She asked what happened to them as Oliver remorsefully said that Taiana and Vlad were dead, as Taiana explained to Oliver that Kovar was a monster and about his promise to Taiana, remembering the saying about hammer shattering glass that can forge steel as Galina realized Oliver was telling the truth. Oliver asked Galina for help as she nodded, handing him a key to Kovar's building. She asked Oliver, who killed her children as Oliver said that it was a monster.**

Everyone felt sad for Oliver again.

"No. It may have been a monster but it wasn't Oliver." Diggle said.

"The real monsters were Reiter and Conklin." Quentin added as everyone nodded.

**Later, a party was happening in Kovar's casino as the governmental officials celebrated and Kovar smirked before the Hood snuck in with Galina's keycard, knocking out one of the guards. Another guard alarmed Kovar as in the security room, another guard went out to see a cart with tray of food covered with lid, wondering what was going on. The guard picked the lid, as an explosion went off, knocking him down before the Hood entered, shooting both guards. Oliver checked the security cameras as he saw Kovar's men preparing to spread the gas through the ventilation system. Oliver opened the door for Anatoly and Bratva as they entered the casino before Oliver saw Galina in Kovar's office being interrogated.**

"Oh, no." Thea said, all of them realizing things were about to become much worse.

**Kovar was angered that Galina had betrayed him, wanting to know where was the keycard as Viktor was leading Anatoly down the corridor, explaining he had studied the map.**

Everyone narrowed their eyes, this seemed suspicious. And then it hit them.

"Oh, come on." Quentin groaned.

"Yeah." Sara nodded as everyone else groaned too.

**Around the corner, Kovar's men awaited them as they surrounded them, making Anatoly realize that Viktor had betrayed them. Viktor explained that he was trying to join a winning side as Anatoly accused Viktor of being "murderer of nation" in Russian. Viktor hit Anatoly in the face and elsewhere, Oliver burst into Kovar's office to see Galina leaning onto the chair with a glassy look and bloodied face.**

"Oh, no." Moira said.

"Yeah. Things are about to get ugly." Sara nodded.

**Oliver closed Galina's eyes as Anatoly called out that Viktor had betrayed them before the line went dead. Oliver rushed down the corridor, shooting down Kovar's men and in the main hall, Kovar made a speech about Bratva attempting to assassinate the government as his men dragged them in. In the basement, Kovar's men prepared the sarin gas, locking the people in the main hall and putting on gas masks and filling the vents with the sarin gas as Kovar and his men put on gas masks. Everyone, not protected, coughed as Anatoly covered his nose and mouth with his jacket, alongside with other people, who panicked as the room filled with gas.**

Everyone widened their eyes and tensed in horror, hoping Oliver would stop Kovar.

**Kovar and his men went downstairs, facing the Hood and taunting him he was too late. The Hood shot down Kovar's men and dropped his bow. Kovar rushed at the Hood as they traded punches. Kovar blocked the Hood's strikes and grabbed him in chokehold before taking off his hood to reveal Oliver's face, much to Kovar's surprise. Kovar slammed Oliver to a shelf of bottles and grabbed him by his throat, choking him and taunting him to say "Hello" to Taiana in afterlife. Oliver glared and freed himself from Kovar's grip before slamming him to the shelf and grabbing him by his arm and throwing him down on the floor.**

**In the main hall, Anatoly picked a cloth to cover his nose and mouth in order _not_  to inhale the gas as some people, Viktor included, choked on the gas.**

"Good riddance." Roy said and everyone nodded.

**Oliver threw Kovar in through the door, as the people ran before the gas would kill them. Anatoly said he would end this as Oliver ordered him _not_  to interfere.**

**Oliver engaged Kovar, both men trading punches. Kovar blocked Oliver's kick and slammed him to a table. Oliver freed himself from Kovar's grip and got up as Kovar blocked Oliver's punches before grabbing him by his arm and throwing him down. Kovar grabbed Oliver's leg but Oliver kicked him with his other leg in the face, causing for Kovar to let Oliver go.**

**Oliver blocked Kovar's punches and grabbed him by his head and kicked him in the face. Oliver jumped at Kovar and spun around, throwing Kovar as he crashed towards a table.**

**Kovar picked a knife as they resumed their fight. Kovar managed to stab Oliver in the leg before they traded blows again. Kovar stabbed Oliver in the arm as Oliver stepped back in pain, holding his wound. Oliver dodged as Kovar tried to stab him again but Oliver grabbed his arm, both men wrestling for the knife before Oliver knocked Kovar down.**

**Anatoly said that Kovar would face justice and Oliver did not have to fight him. Oliver nodded before stabbing Kovar in the chest as he fell down, seemingly dead.**

"Finally." Tommy said as they all relaxed.

"No. It wasn't over yet." Sara said.

"What? How?" Felicity wondered.

"Guess." Sara said and everyone groaned.

"Great. My Dad always has to screw everything up." Tommy grumbled.

**Sometime later, in the Bratva bar, Oliver and Anatoly were getting their chests tattooed.**

"That's how he got that tattoo." Diggle realized.

**Anatoly said that Oliver was now his favorite American as Oliver wondered why did Anatoly name him a captain, when Oliver was going to leave Russia as Anatoly explained what would the tattoo mean if Oliver left, with anyone from Bratva acknowledging Oliver's position.**

Diggle remembered Alexi Leonov, smiling.

**Outside in an alley, Anatoly handed Oliver his hood, reminding how did they meet the first time, noting that Oliver has come a long way, noting that the hood would not help him channel his darkness and that it would break him.**

"He wasn't wrong. Splitting himself into two would not help." Sara nodded.

**Elsewhere, Malcolm entered a makeshift surgery room as Kovar's men nursed Kovar, who was lying on the table, thanking Malcolm for his help.**

"Of course my Dad has to mess things up." Tommy grumbled as they glared at the screen.

**Malcolm wondered what happened as Kovar's man said that it was private, with Malcolm noting that the man who beat Kovar, should watch his back.**

"If he only knew…" Moira sighed.

**Kovar opened his eyes, clenching his fists as he decided to take revenge on Oliver.**

"That's not good." Diggle said, all of them realizing that it wasn't over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] A reference to Dolph Lundgren playing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, where he beat Rocky's friend Apollo Creed to death.
> 
> [2] Some people have wondered, if Talia had known truth earlier about why did Oliver kill Ra's, since he had no choice because of Ra's wanting to destroy Starling City, perhaps she never would have helped Chase, as she tried to paint Oliver as a monster for killing her father. Although, apparently, if one thing is common with Talia in any adaptation, whether it is TV series, films, video games or comic books, is that her obsessive loyalty towards Ra's is much stronger than her common sense, which is why Bruce/Talia in comic books is so toxic, especially in Son of Batman where she drugged and raped Bruce in order to conceive Damian. Plus, it's stupid how they were trying to vilify Oliver by killing Ra's, when he was willing to wipe out Starling City with Alpha/Omega virus and kill hundreds of thousands of people. The writers' hate for Oliver has no limits.
> 
> [3] This may be one of Talia's anti-hero aspects from comic books, when she actually has good intentions but uses questionable extreme methods to do so. However, we all know how villainous she actually is due to her megalomania and obsessive loyalty to Ra's.
> 
> [4] I changed the whole "skinning a man alive just for practice" and the whole "I like killing" Anatoly told Oliver that we got in canon, since that part was only to prove Chase right and that Oliver was a monster and instead went with Oliver's classic methods. Hope that works, since the viewers would not take it well. The Oliver Queen we had seen in the show, especially in the flashbacks, if you consider that he learned from what he had done with Shrieve, would never do something like this and this had again Guggenheim's and Mericle's writing all over it, trying to make Oliver the monster, which, as I have said before, is nothing but an insulting load of crap, trying to make us hate Oliver.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	22. Return home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The viewers see Oliver finishing his business in Russia, return to Lian Yu and having to face off Kovar one last time before finally returning back home to Starling City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

**Oliver and Anatoly were in the bar, with Anatoly surprised that Oliver intended to return to Lian Yu as Oliver explained that the simplest solution would be to let everyone believe that he had been stranded on the island for the past five years, instead of asking too many questions.**

"So that's how…" Diggle said, all of them realizing why Oliver didn't want to talk about his past.

**Anatoly was disappointed that his friend was not staying with him as Oliver said that he had 48 hours to enjoy their time together as Anatoly said that Bratva works for the good of other people and not selfish men like Kovar or Gregor.**

"Yeah, Anatoly later became just as bad as Gregor because Ollie wasn't around to remind him how important honor was." Sara reminded, all of them wondering how much corrupted Anatoly became. "Now, he's still the man you see in the recordings but sometime later, money became more important to him until Ollie talked some sense into him."

**Anatoly said that he needed Oliver's help to rebuild Bratva as they toasted vodka. Later, they entered a small hospital, where Anatoly showed Oliver how bad it was for the sick people due to lack of money and supplies and that Bratva could not afford to buy medicine for them.**

Everyone felt sympathy for the sick people and Tommy and Roy especially remembered the sick people in the Glades and that there was a time, when Glades Memorial and Rebecca's clinic did not have enough supplies too and their sympathy was then replaced by anger, with Roy enraged that Malcolm intended to tear down his home and Tommy realizing why did Malcolm want to shut down the clinic.

**Oliver wondered what was the point of this as Anatoly offered to help with a good old-fashioned heist, with a smirk on his face.**

"Oh…" Tommy said, feeling uncomfortable as he, Felicity, Quentin, Moira, Thea and Laurel were unhappy at watching Oliver doing such criminal activities.

"He may have worked with criminals but he never actually became one of them. In the eyes of law, maybe. But you already know what kind of man Ollie really is." Sara said and they all felt sympathy for Oliver, rather than judging him.

**Later, they returned back to the hospital, with Oliver teasing Anatoly if it felt good to be Robin Hood, while Anatoly cracked that Oliver was the one with bow and arrow.**

"You know, he doesn't like when people are calling him that." Diggle said as everyone else snickered.

"Well, blame the media and the List." Quentin argued as Diggle snickered too.

**Anatoly reminded Oliver that Anatoly had thought that Russia was not suited for Oliver as Oliver realized that Anatoly thought that the heist would convince him to stay because Anatoly needed his help. Oliver said that Starling City was his home and that he needed to save it and Russia was Anatoly's home and that he could manage without Oliver. Anatoly argued that he was more worried about what he himself would become, rather than Bratva.**

"He was afraid of what he would become without Ollie's help. And when Ollie left, Anatoly became corrupt with power and money, no better than Gregor." Sara reminded, as all of them felt sympathy for Oliver and Anatoly.

**Anatoly offered Oliver to have another drink before dropping him off on Lian Yu as they chuckled and left.**

Everyone smiled fondly as they watched the screen.

**Later, they flew in a plane and when they were in the air, Anatoly grumbled about drinking before flying, feeling sick.**

Everyone snickered.

**Oliver noted that they were close to Lian Yu as Anatoly wondered where did Oliver learn to fly a plane as Oliver said that Robert had taught him, when he was younger, since Robert owned vintage planes and it was one of his happier memories.**

"Yeah, I remember Robert used to teach Oliver piloting, when he was younger." Moira remembered.

"Good that it came to good use." Thea said.

**Anatoly turned on the tablet, watching Robert's message about saving Starling City and that Oliver needed to right his wrongs as Oliver explained that Anatoly needed to understand why Oliver needed to go back. Anatoly wondered whether Oliver meant Starling or "the horrible place" as he looked down to watch Lian Yu.**

"I wish he had left that hellhole behind already." Laurel said as everyone nodded.

"Something tells me that it's not gonna be pretty, when he lands." Tommy said and everyone nodded again, wondering what happened, considering that Kovar survived.

**Oliver landed the plane on the beach before he and Anatoly got out and carried Oliver's crate, with Anatoly grumbling that Oliver had managed to persuade him to return to Lian Yu.**

"Yeah, I don't blame him for not wanting to return there." Roy said.

**Oliver said that Anatoly was more than welcome to leave as Anatoly pointed out that Oliver back on Lian Yu certainly had some irony. Oliver explained that in order to return home, it would be easier for everyone to believe that he had been stranded on the island for five years as a simple castaway, not wanting anyone to know what he did in Hong Kong or Russia, while Anatoly pointed out that there was no such thing as a simple castaway.**

Everyone again felt sad for the things Oliver had been forced to do throughout the five years.

**Oliver picked an arrow from the crate, explaining that this was easier before they saw a familiar black and orange balaclava on the ground, originally black and golden, most likely the color faded throughout the years due to exposure to air and salt water as Anatoly pointed out it was bad omen, while Oliver mourned for his former friend.**

Everyone felt sad about what happened to Slade.

"You said that after he found out that Ollie survived, Slade left his son and tried to destroy Ollie, almost tearing down the city and killing Moira until Ollie cured him and he regained his sanity later." Laurel said. "What happened after that?"

"Ollie offered Slade to help him find Joe. But when they did… well, years before Slade ended up on Lian Yu, he and Joe went on one camping trip and Slade was there on an undercover mission for A.S.I.S." Sara explained. "Joe saw him kill a Chinese spy and well, he didn't take it well. Joe later joined A.S.I.S. too, when they found Slade after Ollie beat him. But when Slade lost it after he found out that Ollie had survived, he abandoned Joe, despite that Slade promised that he would stay with his son. Joe did not take that well and it pushed him down a dark path. He became a leader of a mercenary group called the Jackals, he wanted to be as ruthless as the monster Slade was because of Mirakuru. When Slade recovered his sanity and found out what his son had become, it broke him. Later we caught Joe and imprisoned him. Who knows if he'll actually listen to reason."

Everyone felt a lot of sympathy for Slade.

**Oliver stared at Slade's mask, wondering if it was some kind of an omen.**

"You have no idea…" Sara said.

**Oliver picked the mask and put it on a post with an arrow into its eyehole as Anatoly noted that Oliver was crazy.**

"Creepy." Thea said.

**Oliver and Anatoly picked up Oliver's crate, carrying it down the island before they stopped at the graves of Robert, Yao Fei, Shado and Taiana.**

Everyone again felt sad for Oliver.

**Oliver explained to Anatoly why he needed to go home. Anatoly explained that the hood would not help Oliver with his inner darkness, while Oliver argued that this was how he could protect everyone he cared about.**

Everyone felt touched, realizing why has Oliver been lying to them.

**Anatoly said that Oliver was being naïve and that everyone Oliver cared about, would have to pay the price for Oliver's sins, just as Oliver was paying for Robert's.**

Suddenly, everyone felt hurt and sad again for Oliver.

"That's what Chase wanted to convince Ollie of as well. That everyone Ollie cared about, would suffer, as a price for his sins. Robert, Shado, me, Tommy, Moira, Laurel, everyone…" Sara explained.

"That doesn't mean he has to be alone." Diggle pointed out as everyone nodded, wanting to help Oliver in his mission.

**They walked down the beach, again going over the plan as Anatoly said he would bribe some fishermen to sail near Lian Yu in two days before Oliver would draw attention with bonfire and get home.**

"That much staged?" Moira asked.

"Yeah." Sara nodded.

**Anatoly handed Oliver a bag with everything he needed, saying that it was equipment from Anatoly's days in KGB, explaining that there was no barbershop on the island.**

"Wait. The long hair and beard. It was a wig?" Tommy realized.

"And the doctors did not think to tell you that?" Roy demanded as he turned to Quentin, remembering when Quentin was investigating Oliver after Oliver on purpose got caught on a camera with the hood.  **[1]**

"They wouldn't tell me that." Quentin said.

"Doctor/patient confidentiality." Laurel explained.

"Because Dr. Lamb knew back then what kind of person Ollie was. Someone, who could save the city, even if it meant going outside the law." Sara said as everyone nodded, considering.

**Oliver put on the bag as they bid each other farewell and hugged each other, saying that they would always be brothers before Anatoly left, leaving Oliver on the island.**

Everyone smiled, touched by Oliver's and Anatoly's friendship.

**Oliver prepared the pyre on the beach before he was hit in the neck with a dart as his vision blurred, realizing he had been drugged.**

"What the hell?" Roy demanded.

"Kovar." Quentin deduced.

"Yeah." Sara nodded.

"Oh, no…" Laurel said, all of them worried about Oliver.

**Oliver saw silhouettes and faintly men in black with guns nearing him and his vision cleared to see Kovar, alive, who taunted Oliver he would miss his boat home before he knocked Oliver out.**

"That guy's like a cockroach." Felicity grumbled. "You try to step on that nasty bug and it gets away."

"Well, Malcolm certainly was a cockroach. Kovar, you just needed to squish him enough." Sara shrugged as all of them looked forward to Oliver taking out Kovar for good.

**When Oliver came to, his hands were shackled and hanging on chains as he was stripped of his shirt, in the prison, where he and Reiter had found the Khushu idol before turning to Kovar, who told Oliver that he had heard rumors about Lian Yu being a prison the Chinese used. Oliver was confused since he was sure he killed Kovar but Kovar gloated that nothing ever really dies. Kovar took off his gloves and jacket as he talked about KGB drug called "Red Death", used to cause psychological anguish as he approached the table on which was a box containing a syringe and vials with some red liquid.**

"Oh, no. I've heard of this drug." Diggle said.

"Yeah. Things are going to get a lot worse for Ollie." Sara nodded.

"What is this drug exactly?" Felicity asked.

"The people injected by it are subjected to immense agony. They relive the pain from all scars from all injuries they had injured, like if they were going through the pain for the first time ever in their life. In addition, it makes them relive not only physical but psychological pain. Grief and anger over their losses. That thing is much worse than Vertigo or that fear drug in Gotham you might have heard of." Sara summed up and everyone became more worried about Oliver.

**Oliver found it ridiculous that Kovar chased him just to torture him as Kovar filled the syringe with the drug. Kovar wondered why did Oliver plan to return home from Lian Yu of all places but Oliver told him off.**

"You just don't learn, do you?" Tommy grumbled.

"Why did you have to piss him off in a situation like this?" Thea muttered as they all realized it was about to become much worse for Oliver.

**Kovar was impressed by Oliver's response as he noted that Lian Yu meant "purgatory", adding that purgatory followed after physical death before he jammed the needle into Oliver's breast, right where his Bratva tattoo was and Oliver gasped in pain, while Kovar put the syringe on the desk.**

Everyone breathed out, becoming worried how much painful this was going to be for Oliver.

**Oliver glared at Kovar, vowing to kill him and make sure he stays dead for good this time. Kovar responded by saying that Oliver would kill himself, when Kovar was done with him.**

Everyone was stunned and horrified.

"That's what the Red Death ultimately does to you. Puts you through so much physical and psychological pain that you'll do anything to make it stop." Sara said and everyone was shocked, ashamed of convincing themselves that they had it just as rough as Oliver, again, when it obviously was far much worse for him than they had thought.

**Kovar observed Oliver trying to free himself from his shackles as Kovar admired how Oliver was able to endure the pain. Kovar then touched Oliver's right shoulder, where was the first scar he had ever received, where Yao Fei shot him, when he washed up on Lian Yu and Oliver screamed, reliving the pain as Kovar gloated that the pain would follow Oliver anywhere he was going to go. Kovar then touched the scars on Oliver's lower abdomen as Oliver screamed again, reliving how Billy tortured him in Fyers's tent.**

Moira, Thea, Laurel and Felicity gasped, Tommy and Roy looked stunned before they all, alongside with Diggle, Quentin and Sara glared at Kovar hatefully.

"That sick bastard is enjoying it." Quentin growled.

"You have no idea…" Sara nodded.

**Kovar explained that Oliver would relive every injury he had ever endured, like if he was going through the pain for the first time. Kovar touched Oliver's scars on his back and Oliver screamed as he relived how Conklin whipped him.**

They all stared in disbelief, hoping it was a nightmare, from which would Oliver wake up at any moment.

**Oliver trembled as Kovar gloated if he was still wasting Oliver's time.**

"You should start counting your time. It's going to end soon enough." Sara growled as they all smirked, looking forward to see Oliver kill Kovar for good.

**Later, Kovar's men threw Oliver into the cell, like when Reiter imprisoned him and Taiana. Kovar was impressed by Oliver's strength, taunting him that Oliver would relive his worst pain in his mind as Kovar pulled out his gun and pointed at his own forehead, explaining that the Red Death would make him relive not only physical but psychological pain as well as in front of Oliver flashed memories of killing Taiana, Ivo killing Shado and Oliver beating one of Ivo's men to death with a rock and Oliver torturing Shrieve in Hong Kong.**

The viewers stared in shock and save for Diggle and Quentin, they all had tears in their eyes, horrified by Oliver having to relive all the pain and losses he had been through over the five years he was gone.

**Kovar threw the gun inside the cell as Oliver picked it, wanting to kill Kovar but his hand trembled. Kovar taunted Oliver that the gun had only one bullet and that either Oliver could kill Kovar or himself. Kovar said that even the strongest men did break in few minutes before killing themselves to escape their pain, wondering if Oliver would last longer before he walked away.**

Everyone glared at the screen, mentally burning holes into Kovar's forehead with their fierce glares.

**Oliver got up as he heard Yao Fei's voice and he got up, leaning onto the wall before he saw in front of him a hallucination of Yao Fei in his hood.**

"Good hallucination or bad?" Tommy asked.

"Bad. Very bad." Sara said and they all became worried what was going to happen next.

**Oliver tried to deny that Yao Fei was real but Yao Fei said that he was as real as Oliver's conscience, reminding Oliver that Yao Fei had told him to survive as his dying wish but Oliver made his sacrifice meaningless by letting Shado die. Broken, Oliver tried to apologize to Yao Fei but Yao Fei said that apologies would not bring her back, just as they would not bring back Taiana, Akio, Sara or anyone else Oliver had lost in the past five years, pointing out how many more Oliver had yet to lose. Oliver closed his eyes, trying to remind himself that he was only hallucinating, while Yao Fei said that everyone Oliver cared about, was fated to suffer, as price for his sins and that the only way to save them, was to kill himself as he held Oliver's hand, pointing the gun at his head and telling Oliver to sacrifice himself to spare them of the pain.**

Tommy clenched his teeth and breathed out, sickened to the stomach, while Laurel and Thea sobbed, not being able to hold back tears anymore at the sight, with Quentin and Moira putting their arms around the necks of their children, trying to assure them, although they did not find it any easier to watch the pain Oliver was going through, all of them once again, ashamed and regretful of how they had been treating Oliver since he came back and cursing themselves for convincing themselves that Oliver had not suffered enough or that they were foolish enough to compare their own pain to Oliver's, when it was nowhere to what he had been through.

Felicity sniffed, covering her mouth, barely able to take in the agony Oliver was going through and cursing herself for trying to convince herself that Lian Yu was not that bad and Diggle and Roy felt nothing but pity and great deal of sympathy for Oliver as he was going through pain that neither of them was sure any good person, no matter how damaged, would deserve.

**Oliver was about to pull the trigger before suddenly, Laurel appeared, holding Oliver's hand, trying to stop him. Laurel made Oliver lower the gun as Oliver argued that as long as he was alive, he would "infect" lives of everyone that he loved. Laurel said that they loved him in return and that they needed him to come home to his family and to her, pointing out that if Oliver killed himself, Sara's and Robert's deaths would become meaningless. Oliver turned his head as the apparition of Laurel disappeared. With his fighting spirit coming back, Oliver shot at the lock of the door to his cell as it opened as he got up and left.**

"You may not have found your way to each other but you would always have a place in his heart." Sara told Laurel, who felt touched and had tears rolling down her cheeks. "You were his light in the darkness. When he pushed you away later, he lost sight of it. Don't leave him, only because you can't return to each other, otherwise he is lost forever."  **[2]**

Laurel nodded, cursing herself for how she had been treating Oliver before she found out about the scars, when he came back.

"Now he fights back." Tommy said, all of them looking forward to see Oliver turn the tides to his favor.

**Later, Kovar and his men returned to where Oliver's cell was, alerted to the gunshot and instead of expecting to find Oliver's corpse, to their surprise, they found that the cell had been opened, realizing that Oliver had escaped. Kovar ordered his men to search the island and find Oliver, also instructing them that Kovar would kill Oliver himself and no one else would kill Oliver but him.**

"One thing you don't realize, now you're on his own turf. He knows the island better than them." Sara said.

"Oh, you guys are so screwed now." Tommy laughed.

"Yeah, they sure are in for it." Quentin nodded, all of them looking forward to see Oliver take down Kovar and his men.

**Oliver ran down up on the hill towards his crate and checked the watch, seeing that he had only few hours left before three of Kovar's men snuck up on him from behind with aimed guns. Oliver got up with his hands up as Kovar's men ordered him to get down on his knees. Oliver seemingly complied before he suddenly rushed at them, pulling a knife out of the belt of one of them and stabbing him in the chest, killing him and cutting the throat of another one before stabbing the last one in the chest as they fell down, dead. Oliver picked the Kalashnikov and opened fire at more Kovar's soldiers, shooting them down. Kovar was disappointed he was losing, deciding to take the matters in his own hands and end this as he walked off.**

"So, round three?" Thea asked.

"Yeah." Sara nodded as they all looked forward to see Oliver beat Kovar for good.

**Elsewhere, two of Kovar's men searched for Oliver before they saw a rifle stand up from the ground. One of them took a closer look before they heard rustling and suddenly, a log with spikes swung down, impaling him as Oliver snuck up on the second soldier and snapped his neck before taking a rifle from the ground.**

"Oh, man, this is like real life Tomb Raider." Tommy snickered.

"Yeah. The latest adaptation was awesome videogame." Felicity giggled. "If they only knew how similar it was for Oliver."

"Hmmm. I was never really interested into it but I heard that Lara uses bow and arrow in it too." Thea mused as Sara giggled and shook her head in amusement.  **[3]**

**Oliver walked down the forest before he heard rotor engine in the sky and he looked up to see a chopper and he took cover behind a tree stump as it opened fire at him.**

"Frak." Felicity said.

**Oliver rushed down the forest, avoiding gunfire from the chopper as he took cover behind a tree. Oliver got up from his cover and opened fire, hitting the chopper as he caused small fire, causing for the chopper to crash near Oliver and explode.**

"Nice shot." Diggle said, all of them impressed by Oliver's marksmanship skills.

**Oliver approached the wreckage and saw Kovar, who got out from the chopper, injured. Oliver aimed his rifle at Kovar, intending to finish him off but as he pulled the trigger, the rifle did nothing but 'click' as Oliver realized that he ran out of ammo.**

"Uh-oh." Roy said.

"More frak." Felicity muttered.

"That's not good." Tommy shook his head, all of them realizing that it was about to get worse.

**Kovar got up, revealing that his men had overheard Oliver's conversation with Anatoly as Oliver put down his jacket, noting that Kovar did not need to kill him, he only needed to make sure Oliver would never make it to his boat as he slashed Oliver across his chest with a knife as Oliver stumbled back, groaning in pain. Kovar tried to stab Oliver in the head as Oliver used his arm to block Kovar's knife.**

"And here we go again." Diggle said, all of them watching with excitement and tension.

**Oliver disarmed Kovar of his knife and dodged his punch. Kovar tried to shoot Oliver with his gun but Oliver grabbed it, making Kovar miss before Kovar put the hot gun barrel to Oliver's shoulder. Oliver screamed in pain as Kovar pinned him to a tree. Oliver kicked Kovar in the chest and dodged his punch, pummeling Kovar in the chest before Kovar blocked Oliver's blows.**

**Oliver managed to land a punch at Kovar's face before Kovar pinned Oliver's back to the chopper and Oliver screamed in pain as the wreckage was still on fire and burning him. Kovar threw Oliver away, taunting him that he was stronger with his hood.**

"He doesn't need a hood to end you." Sara said as everyone nodded.

"He's stopped worse than you." Thea said.

**Oliver and Kovar continued to trade punches before Oliver threw him down as Kovar rolled down on the ground. Oliver jumped at Kovar and threw him down again before both men got up on their feet.**

**Oliver blocked Kovar's punch, grabbing him by his arm and throwing him down again as Oliver staggered on his feet, reminding Kovar that he would make sure Kovar would die this time. Oliver grabbed Kovar in the chokehold before his watch bleeped, notifying him that his boat was arriving and Kovar gloated that Oliver was not going to make it and that he would remain prisoner of Lian Yu forever.**

"Like hell if that happens." Laurel sneered.

**Having enough of Kovar's taunts, Oliver snapped his neck and dropped his dead body on the ground.**

"And stay dead for good, you son of a bitch." Tommy said.

"There's no way back from this one." Moira nodded.

**Oliver ran down the forest to where was the bag with Yao Fei's hood as he pulled it out and put it on, alongside with leather wrist braces and a wig before rubbing some dirt on his arms.**

"I know this isn't the time for it but I gotta say that he looks ridiculous like that." Thea said and everyone nodded.

**Oliver dropped his watch and rushed down the forest towards the shores of Lian Yu with his bow and arrows, seeing the fishermen boat and firing a flaming arrow at the pyre, igniting it as it exploded. The fishermen noticed the fire and sailed to the shores to meet Oliver on the beach as he took off his hood. They let Oliver onboard, sailing to the mainland and lending Oliver a phone as they wrapped a blanket around him as Oliver dialed a number and waited until he heard Moira's voice.**

Moira had tears in her eyes, remembering the conversation, as she wondered back then, if it was some kind of an elaborate prank call.

**Oliver's eyes were getting wet as he sniffed, telling Moira that he was alive. In denial, Moira expected someone to be messing with her. She was about to hang up before Oliver spoke up, pleading her to listen to his voice. Moira stopped and listened as tear rolled down Oliver's cheek, saying it was him and that he survived, pleading her _not_  to hang up as Moira sat down and broke down, realizing it was really her son. She asked if Robert survived as Oliver brokenly told her that neither he or Sara made it.**

Moira broke down as Thea's eyes were getting wet too, hugging her mother and Laurel and Tommy felt their eyes get wet too, touched that Oliver managed to reach out, with Quentin and Laurel, once again ashamed of accusing Oliver of killing Sara, when in fact, it was not his fault, with Quentin and Laurel only wishing he could see her again in the present.

**Moira sobbed, wanting to know where Oliver was as he promised that he was on his way home and that he loved her and Moira replied emotionally that she loved him too as the screen faded to black.**

"And that was it." Sara said but she gave everyone a few minutes to absorb what they had just seen, the strong emotions being too much for those, who had known Oliver, to bear. "When you're ready, I'll be waiting in my room. There are still some things we need to talk about before we all get back." She left, leaving everyone in private to let everything sink in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] As mentioned in Stand with Ward and Queen's story "Whatever it takes", in the context of the show, the wig is quite stupid and suspicious, when you think about it. They probably wouldn't reveal it to Quentin due to doctor/patient confidentiality but when in 1x04-05 Quentin was onto Oliver, it's likely that someone would tell that to Quentin. Again, stupid writing of the showrunners.
> 
> [2] Some people have asked me, if I would change the hallucination to make it Sara, instead of Laurel. However, again, as pointed out in Stand with Ward and Queen's story, it was Laurel that kept Oliver going throughout the five years he was gone as she was his moral center and when Oliver pushed her away, he lost sight of his mission. If I had changed the hallucination up to Sara, it would make Oliver's relationship with Laurel before the Gambit worth nothing. I think that, no matter if it would be romantically or not, Oliver would always need Laurel in his life, since she always helps him get on the straight path.
> 
> [3] Fun fact for video game players, Tomb Raider (2013 video game) takes place on an island, where Lara is stranded on an island with her friends, trying to fend off a fanatical cult of shipwreck survivors worshipping spirit of a Japanese empress, who could control storm on the island and Lara uses bow and arrow as her primary weapon. Plus, Camilla Luddington, actress playing Lara Croft in this video game, also played with Caity Lotz in an American horror film from 2014, called The Pact II, both actresses being main protagonists of the film.
> 
> But it's not the end of story just yet, there are 3-5 chapters max. waiting, there will be some more talking regarding the future before they all return to the present and of course deal with Malcolm and stopping the Undertaking.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far


	23. Tying up loose ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara fills in more blanks for everyone to create a better future before she drops them off to back where she picked them up from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

It was few minutes but it felt like years as all the viewers absorbed into their minds seeing what Oliver had been through throughout the five years he was gone, all of them seeing Oliver differently than the first time after he got back.

Quentin and Laurel, instead of blaming Oliver, found themselves with a lot of respect towards him for trying to save Sara, even more, considering that they eventually fell in love with each other.

Roy, initially considering Oliver to be nothing more but a damaged spoiled trust fund brat, too found a lot of respect for Oliver, seeing that Oliver also did many questionable things to survive, just like Roy growing up in the Glades, although he could not dare compare his own hell to Oliver's as he found himself wanting Oliver to teach him.

Moira and Thea felt ashamed of treating Oliver like the same person he was before the Gambit, realizing that the five years he was gone, had changed him into someone different and actually needed their help to remind him what's important in his life, no matter how hard he might try to push them away.

Tommy and Felicity felt ashamed of judging Oliver to be a killer, realizing that Oliver killed only when he had no other choice left and when the circumstances pushed him to it as they came to accept that Oliver killed only when he had to as Tommy hoped that he could apologize to Oliver, once he got back.

"I can't believe how much it changed him." Thea said after a long moment of silence.

"You're not the only one." Felicity admitted.

"Now I understand why he tried to push us all away." Laurel nodded.

"Yeah." Tommy nodded.

"I wish we realized that earlier how damaged he had become." Quentin said. "God, if I hadn't been so absorbed in my own grief…"

"What's past is in the past. The real question is, what should we do now, considering what we know." Diggle said. "Sara told us that we need to treat Oliver better and that a lot of things will happen in the future that we need to stop, Slade, Darhk and Chase included."

"And Malcolm's Undertaking." Felicity added before turning to Moira. "When is he…"

"In a few days." Moira said.

"Sara said that Oliver failed to stop it and that I died." Tommy reminded.

"You're not dead yet, Tommy." Laurel assured him.

"She's right, we need to ask Sara what to do to change the future." Diggle said.

* * *

Sara had put Mia to the sleep already and waited in the cantina as they all entered.

"Well, is there anything we need to know about in the future that we should prevent?" Quentin asked. "Anything to change the future for better?"

Sara nodded. "There are some things you might want to change."

"OK, we've all agreed that Ollie should definitely kill my Dad. Honestly, he is dead to me already, now that I know what kind of monster he had become." Tommy said as Sara nodded.

"Like I said, Ollie barely beat him the first time and you need to make sure Malcolm is actually dead." Sara said. "Because he survived, Ra's had him marked for death and Malcolm then set up certain events in motion that had him, Thea, Ollie and everyone else targeted by the League and a lot of people died before Ollie killed him."

"Which led to Talia allying herself with Chase." Diggle said and Sara nodded.

"And you said that it's better that Oliver kills Slade, when he gets the chance, otherwise a lot of people would die." Felicity said. "I won't lie, I don't like it but if you say it saves a lot of people…"

"Me included." Moira said.

"I think I can accept that." Felicity finished. "But the cure…"

"Even if you would cure him, it took years before the psychological effects of the Mirakuru wore off. Even after Ollie cured him and imprisoned him, Slade still wanted to destroy Ollie and keep his promise. Malcolm even freed him from the prison and he almost killed him and Thea." Sara explained. "It would be better if you let Ollie kill Slade, when he has the chance. Slade told me that he rather would have died, than being forced to kill anyone Ollie loved. It wasn't really his fault because he was on Mirakuru but you need to understand."

Everyone was silent for a few minutes but eventually came to accept Slade's request, nodding.

"And one more thing, you tried to slow Malcolm down by confessing on live TV to being an accessory to Malcolm and they arrested you." She turned to Moira. "Because of that, a woman named Isabel Rochev did a hostile takeover of Queen Consolidated and Ollie became a CEO and was forced to let her be his colleague."

"That business tycoon?" Tommy asked.

"Wait, Rochev, as in the CEO of Stellmor International?" Felicity asked at the same time and Sara nodded, while Moira glared at the thought of the vile woman.

"Eventually, she tricked him into letting her become a CEO but what he didn't know at the time, was that she worked with Slade." Sara said.

"Why on Earth would Oliver ever trust her?!" Moira demanded with so much fury in the tone, the viewers measured how far they were from the door, wanting to be as far away from the Queen matriarch as possible.

"Because you didn't tell him the whole truth at the time. All you told him that she could not be trusted but later, Slade pushed him to desperate measures." Sara said simply and Moira blushed, her cheeks going pink, almost red as she realized the consequences of her dishonesty.

"OK, what don't we know again?" Roy grumbled.

Moira sighed. "She was an intern at Queen Consolidated, when she was studying business school."

"And she was the employee Robert had an affair with that I told you about and with whom he was going to leave before he found out that you broke your arm, when you fell off your horse." Sara explained. "Robert ended her internship, realizing how much the family meant for him and well, all I'll say is that she did not take it well. You need to tell Ollie the truth about who is he dealing with. She helped Slade use the Mirakuru in his blood to inject inmates from Iron Heights that were being transported and with this small army, Slade almost burned the city to the ground and killed hundreds of innocents."

"I think I'll order the security to ban Miss Rochev from entering the premises of Queen Consolidated. Permanently." Moira said.

"That won't stop her and I have a better idea." Sara said as she showed them seven flash drives.

"What is it?" Quentin asked as Sara pointed at each flash drive.

"This contains evidence of all black ops and illegal activities Amanda Waller has done as the director of A.R.G.U.S." Sara said.

"So that she faces trial." Diggle said.

"I think we've established that Rochev is not a completely honest businesswoman and this drive contains black market deals she has made after Robert fired her." Sara explained and Moira smirked.

"I'll enjoy the look on her face, when the FBI arrests her." Moira said, vindicated.

"This contains evidence about Sebastian Blood killing his father." Sara said.

"Blood? Wait, the alderman of the Glades?" Roy realized and Sara nodded.

"After the Undertaking, Blood tried to candidate for mayor. But he was also another one of Slade's allies and he tried to gain Oliver's trust and he was the one, who kidnapped residents of the Glades no one would look for, trying to turn them into Slade's soldiers with the Mirakuru. But he also killed his father, when he was young and framed his mother for it, having her committed in an asylum and make her look insane." Sara explained. "Later, when you got suspicious, Blood used his connections as an alderman and destroyed the case file and by the time you found out his involvement in Slade's operation, Slade had already killed Moira and Blood had already become the mayor. This contains evidence that he framed his mother for his father's death and his association with Rochev and it also contains evidence about a secret cult called "The Church of Blood" that Blood and his allies, such as a police officer in your department, were members of."

"And what's the fourth flash drive?" Felicity asked.

"A counter-algorithm to x-axis bi-numeric algorithm." Sara summed up and Felicity paled.

"How… how do you know about it?" Felicity demanded.

"Because your ex-boyfriend Cooper isn't dead. He's alive." Sara said bluntly and Felicity turned white as sheet.

"Great, more skeletons in the closet." Quentin grumbled. "Out with it, Smoak, what did you do?"

"I…" Felicity was lost for words.

"You need to come clean, Felicity. Cooper with that super-virus almost destroyed the whole city." Sara said, glaring and Felicity was speechless for a minute before she breathed out.

"You're right. Of course you're right." Felicity sighed before taking a breath as she groaned, realizing that she needed to own up to her mistakes.

"Felicity, what did you do?" Diggle asked, not believing that someone like Felicity would be responsible for something so horrible.

"Look, before you all judge me, I never thought that it would be used for something like this." Felicity tried to explain. "Actually, I could've, I actually have very vivid imagination, like cronuts, I…"

"Felicity, take it easy, deep breaths and start from the beginning." Laurel held her shoulders as Felicity breathed out.

"I was in this… I guess you could call it a group, back in college. We were hacktivists, for a lack of better word." Felicity explained. "Civil disobedience via the World Wide Web. And I wrote this… super-virus that would give us an access to any infected server. We could expose government frauds, start virtual sit-ins and digitally deface criminals. I guess you could say it was my first attempt at being a hero."

" _Hero_?" Quentin repeated incredulously. "Look, I don't doubt that you had good intentions in mind but you do realize what could happen, if bad people got their hands on it."

Felicity nodded. "I know. I know."

"Why didn't you tell me or Oliver?" Diggle asked.

"For the same reason Oliver would barely talk about the five years he was gone." Felicity pointed out and everyone nodded in understanding. "But… Cooper… how…"

"NSA faked his death and wanted his hacker skills for cyber-espionage and Cooper wanted to avoid prison, no matter the cost. Some things are easy to do, when the world thinks you're dead." Sara explained and everyone nodded, considering what Oliver had to do under Waller's "employment". "But when he and NSA cut ties, well, to say the least, he wasn't happy with what you had become, Felicity."

"I never would've hurt innocent people. I had good intentions in mind." Felicity protested.

"You knew exactly what the virus was capable of, when you wrote it." Sara said coolly. "" _The road to Hell is paved with good intentions._ " "During his time in the NSA, Cooper became disillusioned and wanted to unleash the true potential of what you had created."

Felicity rubbed her temples, frustrated. "Oh, my God, what have I done…"

"I'm offering you all a chance to prevent deaths of innocents and making the world a better place." Sara said.

"But if I come clean…" Felicity paled.

"You'll end up in prison." Diggle realized.

"Look, I won't lie, you've made many mistakes, either because you thought you had good intentions in mind or because you became too emotional but you helped us on some occasions too. But you need to own up to your mistakes. That's something you almost never did." Sara explained.  **[1]**

"You said that Lyla replaced Waller as a director later, right?" Diggle asked and Sara nodded. "Maybe, after Waller faces trial, Lyla might sweeten the pot."

"Maybe." Sara nodded.

"Thank you." Felicity said.

"But, Felicity." Sara warned. "If you ever come across a hacktivist group called "Helix", stay away from them. Trust me. They have compromised national security more than once. They even asked you to break out their leader, Cayden James and he later almost destroyed the whole city."

"What? Why?" Felicity demanded. "I mean, I've heard about Cayden but…"

Sara handed them fifth flash drive. "This contains information about a criminal in Starling City named " _Ricardo Diaz_ "."

"The Dragon. I've heard of him." Roy nodded.

"Yeah, I know this guy." Laurel nodded.

"He might seem like an ordinary street thug but later he became very dangerous. Diaz somehow figured out Ollie was the vigilante, in the future, he was calling himself the Green Arrow and leaked a doctored photo because of which Ollie was under federal investigation and had his hands tied. He hired an assassin to kill Cayden's son and framed the Green Arrow for it. It's a long story but he believed that Ollie had killed his son and extorted him into giving up the city's money and that led into an economic crisis and majority of city officials ended up on Diaz's payroll, plus the FBI investigated Ollie due to the leaked photo and blackmailed one of your teammates to testify, causing for everyone to leave the team and Ollie was almost helpless to stop Diaz or Cayden. Diaz later killed Cayden and had the city so much in his grip that Ollie couldn't stop him alone, so he was forced to turn himself in to the FBI and confess to being the Green Arrow, in exchange for their help in stopping Diaz. But Diaz survived and killed you, Dad."

Quentin paled as Laurel held her father tightly as they saw the pain in Sara's eyes. "My God…"

"And this flash drive?" Diggle asked.

"Everything you need to stop Chase and all his hideouts and fake aliases. Or, should I say, Simon Morrison. I'm guessing right now he's studying Ollie from the shadows." Sara said as everyone nodded.

"What about this final flash drive?" Thea asked.

"Everything Gideon has on the Ninth Circle and Eden Corps. The circle has operated from the shadows for centuries until Emiko exposed them in rash decision but they were responsible for millions of deaths, including the ones in Starling City and the circle and the corps are the ones, who turned Starling City into the wasteland I had showed you after Ollie died. The sooner the world knows about them, the better." Sara explained as everyone nodded in understanding.

"But… what about you?" Laurel asked. "I mean, you said that you returned because Merlyn managed to destroy half of the Glades."

"I think that Ollie killing one of his best students might impress Ra's enough to send me after him." Sara said.  **[2]**

"Wait. To recruit Oliver?" Diggle realized. "He'd never accept it."

"Maybe. Maybe he'll try to convince me to stay for all of you." Sara said. "I don't know."

"But we can't let Malcolm destroy the Glades." Moira said. "We need to stop him."

"Malcolm has two earthquake devices and not just one. He had a contingency in place." Sara said as everyone nodded. "I've told you everything you need to know to create a better future. How will you do with it, is up to you. But before you go, there's one more thing."

"What?" Roy asked.

"You've heard about the particle accelerator in S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City?" Sara asked as everyone nodded. "Well, when it turns on later in December, it malfunctions and explodes, unleashing waves of dark matter energy and giving a lot of people superpowers, one of them being CSI tech named Barry Allen. Before that, he arrives to Starling City to investigate one of Slade's test subjects on Mirakuru. You did fall for him." She turned to Felicity, who flushed.

"Wait. Allen… wait, isn't he the one, who said that his mother was killed by a man in yellow and his father actually did it?" Laurel remembered.

"He wasn't lying." Sara said. "Like I said, that particle accelerator exploded and gave people superpowers, we called them "metahumans". They could use sonic screams, shoot fireballs or icicles, control weather, you name it."

"Superpowers?" Diggle groaned, having enough of the mind-blowing. "My life was so much more normal few days ago."

"The man that killed Barry's mother, was a speedster from the future, named Eobard Thawne. He framed Barry's father for it and Barry spent years trying to prove his innocence, not that anyone believed him until the particle accelerator. They didn't get off to a good start but later, he and Ollie became close friends and Ollie trained him to become a hero too and when the crisis came, Barry was supposed to die with another friend of ours but Ollie took their place instead."

Everyone again felt both sad and touched by Oliver's selflessness.

"You trusted Barry quite quickly, when he arrived, Felicity and when Ollie was in trouble, you called Barry for help, despite that you had known for just two days." Sara told Felicity, who flushed.

"Wait. What if he was a psychopath?" Tommy argued.

"That's exactly Ollie's issue, when he found out but you didn't care." Sara said. "My point is, you need to think things through before you act."

Felicity considered and nodded in understanding, considering that these past few days were a huge wake-up call for everyone.

"I've told you this all to be ready for a better future. How will you do with it, is up to you. But I hope you'll all do the right thing." Sara said. "Now… I think it's time for you all to go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] At this point, I don't really hate Felicity anymore but I really hate Iris. I just wish Blondie was actually held accountable for her mistakes, something the show rarely did.
> 
> [2] I've considered whether to do the same thing like in the canon, that Malcolm would partially succeed with his Undertaking because I wasn't sure how would Sara return if the Glades did not crumble. I've decided to do what Stand with Ward and Queen did in his now deleted stories, "Shifting Tides" and "Ripple effect", with Ra's impressed enough by Oliver killing one of his best students that he would send Nyssa and Sara to conscript him. Hope that makes sense.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about it?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	24. Malcolm's downfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armed with the knowledge of the future, everyone decides to stop Malcolm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Soon enough, Sara dropped everyone off back to where she had picked them up and they were all shocked that not even a second passed by, when it was… two days? Everyone let sink in for a few minutes what they had seen.

* * *

_**The Lair, Verdant** _

"I think we should find where Malcolm had stored the second device too, if we want to stop the Undertaking." Felicity said.

"Good idea." Diggle said. "And… are you seriously going to turn yourself in?"

"Sara said that we need to own up to the mistakes of our past. And she's right." Felicity said.

"I'll take care of Waller and make sure Lyla will help you." Diggle promised as Felicity nodded.

"Thanks." Felicity said.

* * *

_**Queen Manor** _

Moira walked to the stairs as she faced Walter, who had in his hands some papers, realizing what was he doing.

"Walter." Moira said sadly. "I… I can only imagine how angry you must be."

"I think that "angry" cannot describe how I'm feeling." Walter said coolly and Moira winced. "Do you think I believe that my abduction on the night you told me that I was getting too close to your conspiracy was a coincidence?"

Moira sighed, she knew she had brought it on herself but she tried to salvage as much as she could. "I am not going to try to justify my actions, since my excuses doesn't make what happened to you any easier. I was trying to protect you or at least I had convinced myself of that but the truth is… I was too afraid and I know that I have brought this on myself. But, please, stay. For Thea. I'll promise I'll do my best to make things right."

"There's nothing you can do to make things right." Walter said as he sighed. "And Thea… I love her but she's a strong woman. She can take care of herself."

"You're leaving?" Thea asked as she walked down the stairs, sad to see Walter go, despite that Moira was trying to make amends.

"Come here." Walter hugged her, not looking back at Moira.

"Please, don't go, Walter." Thea begged. "Stay here. For me. Please."

"You'll be fine, Thea, I promise." Walter assured her as her eyes were getting wet.

* * *

_**Merlyn Global Group** _

Tommy was in back in his office, thinking about what to do and whether he and Laurel could get back, although, considering that Oliver and Laurel still had feelings for each other and that his and Oliver's relationship was somewhat strained, he wasn't sure what to do.

"Tommy?" Malcolm entered. "Is everything alright?"

Tommy shot Malcolm a glare, wanting to make him pay but he couldn't expose himself and put himself at risk, knowing now what Malcolm was capable of.

"Nothing, it's… Ollie and I had some issues that… we needed to work out on." Tommy said as Malcolm nodded.

"It happened to me and Robert too. I'm sure you'll find common ground soon enough and if not… you'll find a way to deal with it." Malcolm said with a smirk on his face as Tommy clenched his fist, knowing full well what Malcolm would have done.

"I hope we can." Tommy said honestly as Malcolm left before he decided to leave and go to Laurel.

* * *

_**The Glades** _

Roy went down the streets and saw a girl with black hair in pixie haircut and punk outfit in black walking into an alley.

* * *

_**Earlier, Waverider** _

_"Roy, before I drop you off, I need you to promise me something." Sara showed him a photo of a little girl that Roy recognized._

_"Isn't that the daughter of that dead pilot that he asked you to look after?" Roy asked and Sara nodded._

_"Her name is Cindy Simone. Goes by "Sin". She lives in the Glades." Sara explained. "After the Undertaking, when I came here, I looked after her for a while. But, well… like I said, I myself had some inner demons to deal with too and I abandoned you all and her. And she was alone since then. She's going to need a friend. Look after her, Roy. For me. Please. Promise me that you'll look after her. There'll be time, when I'll find her too."_

_"OK. I promise." Roy nodded, seeing how important this was for Sara._

* * *

_**Present, the Glades** _

Roy saw that Sin was being followed by three men as Roy followed them.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" One of the men teased, nearing Sin with lustful eyes.

Sin backed off, frightened. "Please. I don't want any trouble."

"We don't want trouble either. We just want to be friends…"

"Hey! Back off! Leave her alone!" Roy shouted as they turned around.

"Learn how to count, jerkwad, there's three of us." One of the thugs said.

"Oh, is that right?" Roy sneered as one of them rushed at him, trying to throw a punch. Roy dodged and punched the second thug in his face and slammed his head against a window. The first thug grabbed Roy from behind but Roy jumped and threw him over his shoulder, throwing him on the thug who was down. "Because I only count one."

"With a gun." The thug said as he pulled out a revolver but Sin picked a glass bottle and hit him in the head from behind.

"Thanks." Sin said. "You saved my ass."

"Your welcome." Roy said, offering her his hand. "Roy."

"Sin." Sin nodded.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Roy said.

* * *

_**Queen Manor** _

"What are we going to do, Mom?" Thea asked as they considered their next step.

"Something I should have done long ago." Moira said.

* * *

_**Laurel's apartment** _

Laurel considered what to do with Oliver. She still had feelings for him but at this point, after what she was, it was obvious that Oliver and her sister were meant to be. While she wanted to try and make things work with Oliver, there was just too much baggage between them. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone knock on the door. Laurel took a look through the peephole and paled to see Oliver.

Few days ago, she would have let him in as usual but now she was conflicted, suspecting what he wanted. Taking deep breaths, she opened the door and she wasn't able to perceive him as a damaged playboy after what he had done, since she knew that part of his misdeeds was her fault. All she saw, was a man looking for redemption and light after how many terrible things he had to do to survive. She still loved him but she wasn't sure she could let him in anymore.

"Is everything OK?" Oliver asked, seeing that Laurel was more than a little upset.

"Yeah, I was just… thinking about Sara, that's all." Laurel admitted and Oliver nodded.

"I'm sorry…"

"No. Don't apologize." Laurel said. "I'm the one, who should apologize. What I said to you and how me and my Dad treated you, when you came back… it was wrong. You didn't cause the storm and you couldn't have known what would happen."

"But I invited Sara." Oliver insisted. "What happened to her, is on me."

"No, it's not." Laurel said. "It's my fault. I…" She took a breath as Oliver looked confused. "Since I saw the scars, I had a lot of time to think and… I'm the one, who pushed you to move in with me, when you were not ready and I don't know if she told you but I called my Dad on Tommy's party because she snuck in because I knew she had a crush on you and Dad grounded her before we started to date." She admitted, ashamed.

Oliver already knew that but he had to act surprised. "That was you?"

Laurel sighed, knowing how much she was breaking her and Oliver's heart but it was for their own good. "I'm not proud of what I did and it took me a long time to realize that I'm the one, who pushed Sara towards you. If anyone has the blame for what happened, it's me."

"Laurel…" Oliver trailed off, hugging her and comforting her.

"I'm sorry for everything, Ollie, I really am." Laurel said.

"It's OK now. It's OK." Oliver hugged her before he heard footsteps.

"Ollie?"

Oliver and Laurel turned their heads to see Tommy at the corridor.

"Tommy, I…" Oliver paused, seeing Tommy's shocked look and expecting him to react badly.

Tommy took a breath and calmed down. "Actually, it's good that you're here. We need to talk. In private."

Laurel and Oliver felt uncomfortable as Laurel sighed, wondering what was Tommy going to do and Oliver was imagining dozens of bad scenarios as he and Tommy went down the corridor before they stopped.

Oliver spoke up, only imagining how badly was Tommy going to react. "Tommy, before you say anything, just let me explain…"

"I don't want to talk about Laurel right now, Ollie, we'll discuss that later." Tommy said, much to Oliver's surprise. "Am I pissed? That doesn't quite cover it, I'll admit but I needed to talk with you about something else."

"What?" Oliver asked, seeing how upset Tommy was, who was now showing a performance of his lifetime.

"It's my Dad. He's planning something horrible." Tommy said, lying through his teeth. "I've been going through some things in my office and found some deals he had made with Unidac Industries and I don't know why but he purchased some kind of a machine that…"

"Produces earthquake." Oliver said and Tommy nodded.

"I'm guessing that's why you set up the meeting with me today, so that your IT girl could hack in." Tommy said, much to Oliver's surprise. "I saw the CCTV footage from earlier today and recognized her, since she was hanging around when we were building Verdant and the IT department there found a Trojan virus in the system. And also, back when they tried to kill my Dad, in the hospital, he told me that after he had left me, when Mom died, he went into a place called Nanda Parbat for two years."

Oliver's eyes widened in realization as all the pieces were falling together.

"I've never heard of that place before, so I did some research. Oliver, you're not gonna believe it but I think that my Dad joined a group of some messed up guys, calling themselves…"

"…the League of Assassins." Oliver finished.

"Wait, you know about them?" Tommy demanded, trying to act shocked.

Oliver nodded. "I've heard some rumors, when I was gone."

Tommy nodded, trying to breathe out quickly and look disturbed, to convince Oliver. "I did my research later too and then put it all together. That copycat archer that almost killed you and was responsible for the massacre in the Unidac Industries and my Dad has gotta be one and the same person. I don't know, if he was capable of something like this, God knows what he wants that device for."

"He's trying to destroy the Glades." Oliver explained.

"What?!" Tommy demanded, trying to sound shocked. "Why would he do that?!"

"I don't know." Oliver admitted before Tommy seemed to be lost in thoughts. "What?"

"That's why he shut down Mom's clinic." Tommy said in realization.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"Dad… he tried to get me to sign some papers to shut down Mom's free clinic in the Glades. I declined. Until now, I didn't understand why but now it makes sense. He wants revenge for what happened to her." Tommy wiped his face and breathed out as Oliver held him.

"Tommy. Easy." Oliver said as Tommy seemed to calm down.

"What… what are we going to do? We can't let Dad do that." Tommy said.

"I promise, I'm going to stop him." Oliver said before he was about to walk off but Tommy held his hand.

"Oliver. Wait." Tommy took a breath. "If you'll have to… kill him." Oliver looked taken aback, not expecting Tommy to ever tell him to kill someone. "I won't lie, I don't like what you do… but that person that looks like my Dad… he's not my father. He's a monster. And there's only one way to stop them. Make sure he stays dead. He's been dead to me for years, anyway."

Oliver considered before nodding as he left.

"That was convincing." Laurel said as she approached Tommy.

"Well, we've all got some things to reconsider." Tommy shrugged.

"Do you think he can do it?" Laurel asked.

"From what Sara said, Ollie barely beat him. Who knows." Tommy said. They went back into Laurel's apartment to see on TV Moira holding a press conference in Queen Manor.

" _My name is Moira Dearden Queen. I am the acting CEO of Queen Consolidated. And God forgive me, I have failed this city._

_For the past five years, under the threat for my life and the lives of my family, I have been complicit in an undertaking with one horrible purpose._

_To destroy the Glades and everyone in it._

_But I realize now that my family's safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur but you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn **.** Yes, and I have proof that he has killed dozens in pursuit of this madness. Adam Hunt, Frank Chen, and my husband Robert. Please. If you reside in the Glades, you need to get out now. Your lives and the lives of your children depend on it. Please._"

"Good luck, Ollie." Laurel said.

* * *

_**Later, the Foundry** _

"Oliver, we have a problem." Diggle said as Felicity showed on screen Moira's announcement.

"This might set him back but it's gonna make him rush it." Felicity said.

"I looked for the device but it was gone, Merlyn must have taken it already and prepare to destroy the Glades." Diggle said.

"I went over the device schematics. It can be set for a timed detonation or can be remotely activated by a mobile transmitter." Felicity said.

"We need to take out that device, Merlyn and that other archer and that transmitter." Diggle said.

"They're one and the same person." Oliver explained.

"What?!" Diggle and Felicity exclaimed, trying to act shocked.

"How do you…"

"It's complicated but Tommy basically told me. We need to stop him and find that device and transmitter." Oliver said.

"OK, if I had a machine that could trigger an earthquake in an otherwise geologically stable area, where would I position it?" Felicity asked.

"Underground." Oliver said after a moment and then he realized where it was.

"It's in the subway." Diggle said as Felicity looked at the computer, pulling up a geographical map on the screen.

"This is a U.S. geological survey of the tectonic plates running underneath Starling City." Felicity said, pointing at the red line. "This red line here is a known fault that runs right below the Glades. About a mile, the fault runs underneath the old Tenth Street subway line. Dollars to donuts, the seismic device is somewhere along there."

"I know where it is." Oliver said before his phone rang and saw Thea's name flashing and he answered the call. "Now's not a good time.

" _Ollie, have you seen the news?_ " Thea asked, disturbed.

Oliver turned to Felicity. "Felicity, pull up the local news, please."

Felicity pulled up on the screen Moira's confession as Oliver looked shocked.

"I'm guessing our interrogation was a wake-up call for her." Diggle said.

"That's not going to stop him." Oliver said. "We need take him down." He was about to leave, when Diggle stopped him.

"No. I can't let you do this by yourself, man. Oliver, you're not alone, not since you brought me into this. Us into this." Diggle turned to Felicity. "Besides, army regulations – a soldier never lets a brother go into battle alone." He offered his hand as Oliver shook it.

"I'll stay here and reach out to Lance, maybe he can help disable the device." Felicity said. "Although, if Merlyn planned this for five years, maybe longer, I doubt he would use only one device."

"He would have a contingency in place. Find where the other device is, I think I know someone, who can disable them both." Oliver said before he picked up his phone.

* * *

_**SCPD** _

Quentin picked up the Hood's phone as he answered the call. "Let me guess, Merlyn plans to destroy the Glades, yeah, I saw the news. They're evacuating it as we speak."

" _There's no time for full evacuation, I know where Merlyn is keeping the device. It's in an abandoned subway station near Pabst Street._ " The Hood informed him.

Quentin paused, realizing where it was. "Where Merlyn's wife died."

" _I need someone I can trust to deactivate the device. A friend of mine can talk you through it._ " The Hood said.

"What makes you think I can do it? You're the vigilante and clearly this city needs you, since you're better in this than I am." Quentin pointed out.

" _Right now, Detective, it needs you._ " The Hood said and Quentin sighed as the Hood hung up.

"Good luck, Oliver." Quentin said.

* * *

_**Laurel's apartment** _

Tommy and Laurel were in her apartment, waiting before he saw Oliver's name flash on his phone as it rang as Tommy answered the call. "Ollie? Yeah? Wait, are you sure… OK, OK. I'll… do my best." Tommy sighed.

"What?" Laurel asked.

"It's Oliver. He needs my help to stop the Undertaking." Tommy said as he got up.

"Wait. Are you sure you want to do this?" Laurel asked, hesitant. "Sara said that you…"

"I died because I tried to save you. I am going to help Ollie save our city. And I don't plan on dying." Tommy said.

"Tommy, please, don't go." Laurel begged.

"I have to." Tommy said as he went out.

"Tommy!" Laurel called out but Tommy had already left, leaving her to stare in despair.

* * *

_**The Glades** _

Roy and Sin were entering an evacuation bus to leave the Glades.

* * *

_**Merlyn Global Group** _

Oliver and Diggle entered Malcolm's office to see dead S.W.A.T. on the ground before Diggle found a crack in the wall. "Looks like a false wall." Diggle said as he opened the hidden door to the room, where they found Malcolm, dressed in his Dark Archer outfit.

"Welcome, gentlemen. I've been waiting for you." Malcolm said. "I wanted to see you watch your city die."

"Where's the transmitter?" Oliver demanded.

"Somewhere I can easily get to it." Malcolm said with a smirk on his face.

"I doubt it." Diggle said as Malcolm glanced at him. "You'll be too dead."

Oliver fired an arrow but Malcolm ran to the other side of the room, dodging Oliver's arrow and Diggle's gunfire as he hid behind a pillar. Oliver and Diggle rushed at him but Malcolm fired an arrow as Oliver dodged.

Diggle engaged Malcolm but Malcolm disarmed him of his gun and kicked him away before he threw the gun at Oliver, who dodged to avoid it. Oliver and Diggle both engaged Malcolm but Malcolm managed to hold his own against their combined efforts, blocking their attacks with his bow.

Malcolm knocked Diggle back and slammed Oliver to the work table. Diggle dodged as Malcolm swung his bow and punched him. Malcolm ducked to avoid as Oliver attacked with his bow and knocked Diggle back with his bow and kicked Oliver, sending him falling on the table.

Malcolm whacked Diggle in the face with his bow as Diggle staggered back. As Malcolm attempted to hit Oliver with his bow, Oliver used his own to block Malcolm's strike. Oliver punched Malcolm in the face and Malcolm ran and as he was behind a rack of swords, Malcolm threw two knives, one of them hitting Diggle in the hip under the shoulder, the other one in the leg. Diggle groaned in pain and fell down and Oliver ran to him in worry as Malcolm ran upstairs to the rooftop.

"Stairs, Oliver, go. Go!" Diggle said, pointing to the door and Oliver went up on the rooftop, going after Malcolm. At the door, Oliver dodged another incoming arrow before facing Malcolm, who was wearing his mask and hood.

"So tell me, are you ready to die?" Malcolm said.

* * *

_**The Glades** _

Underground, Quentin and Tommy were walking down the subway with flashlights.

" _You found it yet, guys?_ " Felicity asked.

"Felicity, we don't even know what are we looking for." Tommy said.

" _Do you want me to describe it for you?_ " Felicity said.

"No, I've got it." Quentin said as he found the device.

"I see it too." Tommy said as he stopped to see elsewhere another earthquake machine.

" _You should see something that looks like a circuit board._ " Felicity said. " _Pull it out._ " Quentin and Tommy removed the cover. " _Do you see a timer?_ "

"Seven minutes." Quentin said.

"Yeah, same here." Tommy nodded.

" _OK, well, the good news is, this is going to be a paperweight in three._ " Felicity said.

* * *

_**Merlyn Global Group** _

Oliver and Malcolm rushed at each other, firing arrows and as they neared each other, Oliver ducked to dodge as Malcolm swung his bow in an attempt to strike Oliver. Oliver raised his bow and blocked as Malcolm attacked with his bow again. Oliver got up as he and Malcolm were using their bows as bo staffs, exchanging strikes until Oliver dodged Malcolm's attack and grabbed him and threw him away. Malcolm did a cartwheel as Oliver fired another arrow that Malcolm caught it, only for it to explode as Malcolm yelped and fell down on the ground.

Malcolm got up and pulled out his sword as Oliver rushed at him. Malcolm blocked Oliver's attack and Oliver dodged, when Malcolm tried to slice him. Oliver attempted to hit Malcolm with his bow but Malcolm ducked to avoid Oliver's strike. Before Malcolm could attack, Oliver ducked and knocked the sword off his hand but Malcolm kicked him in the back, as Oliver rolled down on the ground.

Oliver kicked Malcolm in his face as Malcolm fell down. As Malcolm tried to get up, Oliver jumped at him and flipped him on the ground. As Oliver staggered on his feet, Malcolm jumped at him, flipping him over and grabbing him in chokehold. Oliver punched Malcolm, trying to free himself as Diggle crawled up on the rooftop in the meantime.

Oliver managed to rip Malcolm's mask off his face as he was losing strength from Malcolm's tightened grip.

"Don't struggle." Malcolm warned as they both fell on their knees. "It's over. There was never any doubt in the outcome. Don't worry. Your mother and sister will be joining you in death. You can't beat me, Oliver. Because unlike me, you don't know in your heart what you're fighting for. What you're willing to sacrifice."

' _Survive_.' Robert's words echoed in Oliver's mind as he saw one of Malcolm's arrows in front of him.

Oliver reached out for the arrow and drove it through his shoulder, piercing Malcolm's chest, who gasped as he let Oliver go as they both fell down. Oliver grunted as he got up on his feet, groaning. "Thank you for teaching me what I'm fighting for." He turned around to face Malcolm. "But my father taught me how." Oliver punched Malcolm in his face as he fell down.

* * *

_**The Glades** _

Quentin and Tommy were twisting wires before both devices turned off as they both sighed in relief.

* * *

_**Merlyn Global Group** _

" _Oliver, both devices have been disabled. It's over._ " Felicity announced.

"It's over." Oliver said. "Both your devices are off. You've lost."

Malcolm glared hatefully at Oliver. "Do you realize what you've done?! This city is condemned because of you! This filth needed to be erased from the map!"

"There's only one filth in this city that's in front of me." Oliver growled before Malcolm drew his last breath as he collapsed on the ground as Diggle limped towards Oliver.

"We should make sure that he stays dead this time." Diggle said before he pulled out his gun and shot Malcolm in the head and Oliver winced, wondering if it was a coincidence that Diggle said the same words Oliver said, when he killed Kovar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I handled the Oliver/Laurel part well. It almost broke my heart doing it but it made sense. I love the pairing but like I've said, the recent mania around it soured my opinion on it.
> 
> If you're surprised that I rushed it towards the finale, when the viewers were picked up from 1x22, honestly, I'm surprised Malcolm did not decide to accelerate the Undertaking, when he found out that his servers had been hacked. It was one thing to move the device but he must have suspected Oliver was onto him, someone like Malcolm would want to make it done ASAP.
> 
> The next chapter is going to be a concluding epilogue setting up the sequel to the story but who knows when will I get to it, since I need to plan it through.
> 
> Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.


	25. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone deals with aftermath of the Undertaking as the time travelers decide to change future for the better and Sara finds a way to get back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note and Disclaimer:
> 
> This is an epilogue to this story. I thank everyone, who has followed and favorited this story.
> 
> I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Later, the SCPD and FBI went through the servers of Merlyn Global Group and Queen Consolidated, that also contained list of people, who had aided Malcolm in the Undertaking or were corrupt businessmen and criminals and were put under investigation and some anonymous senders delivered Quentin, or that's what Quentin told Pike, flash drives containing strong evidence against Ricardo Diaz and Isabel Rochev, both of them making illegal dealings in black market as they were both arrested and sentenced to life without parole or possibility of bailout.

The Glades alderman Sebastian Blood was put under investigation due to allegations of murdering his father and framing his mother and having her illegally committed into an asylum and it was discovered that he had created a secret cult engaging in criminal activities, called " _the Church of Blood_ " and all members of this cult were also put under investigation, including officer Daily of SCPD or Cyrus Gold of Zandia orphanage.

* * *

_**United States Department of Defense Court** _

Amanda Waller was at the tribunal, standing in front of the jury. "Amanda Waller, a director of an agency should have a regard for human life, yet we have evidence of dozens of black ops operations that also endangered civilians, such as destroying Ferris Air 637 five years ago or covering up leak of virus in Hong Kong or illegally recruiting criminals, assassins and mercenaries."

"Everything I've done, I did to protect us." Waller said coldly.

"That may be so but you have used criminals, terrorists and mercenaries to accomplish these goals and disregarded innocent lives countless of times." The juror said.

* * *

_**A.R.G.U.S.** _

Felicity was in an interrogation room as one of the agents sat across her.

"I had no idea what the super-virus was going to do, you have to believe me." Felicity said.

"Technically, the virus has not done anything yet but you do realize how serious this is, right?" Steve Trevor said as Felicity nodded. "Why come forward now?"

"Let's just say that Moira Queen is not the only one, who wants to clear her conscience." Felicity said.

* * *

"Lyla, please, tell me you can do anything for her." Diggle pleaded, entering the director's office.

"Well, if this virus had done something already, she'd have to spend a very long time in prison." Lyla said. "But I still have to clean up some of Waller's mess. And I think that your friend's heart is in the right place but… she has a lot to think about. Maybe with good behavior, she'll be out in few months."

"Thank you." Diggle said. "It means a lot to me. She's a good friend and she means well but she often lets her feelings get the better of her and I don't want to see her get hurt but she needs to own up to her mistakes."

Lyla nodded in understanding. "We need to keep an eye on her and I have other things to look into, anyway."

"Such as?" Diggle asked.

"I don't know who but someone delivered me some flash drive containing information about this terrorist organization and militia I've never heard of." Lyla said. "Something called " _The Ninth Circle_ " or " _Eden Corps_ "? Do you know something about it?"

"Sounds like something from a bad novel or eco-terrorists with a lame name." Diggle shrugged.

"This data is really disturbing though. And I still need to clean up Waller's mess but this is going to be on my to-do list." Lyla said.

Diggle nodded before remembering Sara's advice. "You know, we haven't hanged out in a long time and I owe you for how I messed it up with Lawton. How about dinner to make it up to you?"

Lyla smiled. "Russo's at seven? I think I can do the paperwork tomorrow."

"Thanks." Diggle said.

* * *

_**SCPD** _

"Can you believe it?" One of the officers scoffed as Simon Morrison, who had been using an alias "Adrian Chase" for few months, was in an interrogation room. "He swears to Pike that Oliver Queen is the Hood."

"Yeah. Quentin tried that angle already." Hilton said. "Besides, we looked into him. He deleted some traces of himself online and we did a DNA test. He's Claybourne's illegitimate son. And according to Claybourne's attorney, he's been insane since childhood and Claybourne wanted to disown him. He's killed some people because he lost it. He's just ranting around and trying to save his own skin."

"You won't get away with this! I'm going to make you all pay!" A man with short hair and rough male voice with dragon tattoos on his neck was being dragged in in cuffs by Quentin as the man yelled crazily.

"OK, shut up, Diaz, you're not getting away this time." Quentin said as he put Ricardo Diaz in the processing cell. "Besides, Iron Heights is too good for you, I think you deserve a supermax in Slabside."

"I'll make sure everything around you burns." Diaz growled with a glare as Quentin locked him up.

"I'm going to make sure you won't hurt anyone else, ever again." Quentin glared at his would-be murderer before he walked away.

* * *

_**Queen Manor** _

Tommy rang the bell as Oliver let him in.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Oliver and Tommy paused before Oliver spoke up. "About your father…"

"Don't." Tommy interrupted him. "Like I said, the moment I found out the truth, he was dead to me. You did what you had to do. And I know I called you a murderer but you're not. You are a hero. You beat the island. You beat my father and you beat who-knows-how-many monsters when you were gone. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything since you told me the truth."

"It's OK, Tommy." Oliver said.

"No matter what, we're brothers." Tommy said.

"Ollie. Are you ready?" Thea asked.

"Where are you going?" Tommy asked.

"To see Mom in Iron Heights. Are you coming?" Oliver said and Tommy nodded.

* * *

_**Later, Iron Heights** _

Oliver, Tommy and Thea sat across Moira in the visitor room.

"I'm glad you came here." Moira said.

"No matter what you did, we're still family. And nothing should change that. And I think this is our chance to start over." Oliver said and Moira nodded.

"You're right. We need to turn over a new leaf. And there should be no more secrets between us. God knows that even without the Undertaking, there are things I should have told you long ago." Moira said, taking a breath.

* * *

**_Nanda Parbat_ **

"He managed to kill Al Sa-Her." Ra's al Ghul said, impressed as he considered, while a blonde woman in black suit knelt before Ra's. "Ta-er al Usfar. You know him, do you?"

"Yes, my liege." Sara nodded.

"Bring him to me. I want to see his true potential." Ra's said and Sara shivered, not sure if she wanted to conscript Oliver into the League but she knew better than to disobey Ra's. And this… this was her chance to see the man that she loves and her family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might be confused if this does not cause a ripple effect and mess up the timeline like how they do it often in The Flash or Legends of Tomorrow. Well, even if it would affect the future, from now on, this is all going to be in the present, so don't think it's going to be huge clusterfuck.
> 
> Yes, I do plan a sequel but I have not decided yet when will I write it, since I need to plan it through before I get to it, which might take a while.
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed the story to its end because "The Journey of a Hero" is honestly one of the few stories that I've highly enjoyed writing.
> 
> See you later with another of my story projects.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


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